My interest with research is focused on gelatin dry-plate negatives, a precursor to what many remember as 35mm film. But unlike film, these negatives were made of glass, and were normally 4x5 inches in size, if not larger. Gelatin dry-plate was innovated from the earlier collodion process, patented in 1851, which also used light-sensitive materials on glass. But the collodion process was laborious, finicky and not very responsive to light, resulting in long exposures and blurred subjects. Furthermore, the entire process of preparing the glass-negative, taking the picture and chemically developing the image all had to occur immediately before and immediately after the photograph was taken. This meant that the photographer had to travel with a dark-room tent, or was otherwise restricted to their studio. Needless to say, certain subjects were beyond the ability of the medium, and the medium itself was beyond the ability of the average individual. In 1871 however, advancements in photographic emulsion resulted in more reactive and stable negatives. Photographers could now prepare their negatives in advance, and could post-pone development. By 1888, negatives could be purchased pre-made, eliminating the need to prepare toxic chemical mixtures. With this arrival of the gelatin dry-plate process, the amateur photographer was born, and the "snapshot" entered our visual culture.

Experience

• Graduate Thesis Research - my current research involves amateur glass-plate collections. I will be undertaking this research at either the George Eastman House (Rochester, NY) or with both the Ontario Archives and an annonymous private First Nations photograph collection in Toronto, ON.
• Black Star Research Worshop - researched the use of Black Star agency photographs in LOOK magazine, from 1937-1954. Analysed statistical data into graphs and tables to discover patterns and anomolies. Produced 30pg report outlining the decline of agency photographs during LOOK's wartime era as they became more interested in developing their own photographic content.
• Graduate Assistant - assisted students in Historic Processes class at Ryerson University. Processes included cyanotype, ivorytypes, platinum printing and gum-dichromate, and other processes which relate to printing methods of early glass-plate negatives.
• Historic Process Research - To better understand the gelatin dry-plate process, two classmates and I created gelatin-bromide emulsion from scratch, coated onto hand-cut glass plates, exposed with large-format field camera and developed. Two batches created and multiple negatives exposed and developed with great results.
• Scanning - 300 5x7 glass plate negatives from the Sam Houston side show; part of Barnum and Bailey combined shows from the 1920's and 1930's for Jamieson Tribal Art and Golden Chariot Productions
• Internship: Scanning, Cataloguing and Research - 600+ glass plate negatives from large aboriginal content collection, research and cataloguing duties include identifying specific poignant photographers, tribes and/or bands.