Experiment

If you want to work in wet plate; it’ll demand your full time and attention. Try different formats, lenses, and film stocks. Each photographic approach informs the other.

After experimenting widely, you’ll end up with an approach that’s yours:

• White Balance: 5,500k

• White-Balance Shift: A+3

• Profile: Faithful on Canon or Neutral on Nikon

• Tonal Curve: raise mid tones, lift shadows slightly, and retain highlights

I prefer a picture that is bright, warm, and soft. I prefer a lens with some reach, such as a 135mm, but for general walking, give me a 35mm.

The more a picture looks lifelike the more we look away. Go with a standard exposure and then increase the brightness by one stop in post. 5,500k matches daylight film, and the A+3 shift simulates a warming filter.

Both contemporary entertainment and black and white film drastically distort reality. Color film isn’t much better. However, we enjoy each.