A photographer had a 20-minute photo session with 16-year-old Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg, during which he produced these wet-plate portraits. As her schedule was tight, the photographer took his portable darkroom setup to the field and shot the images during Thunberg’s appearance at Standing Rock.
She’s becoming increasingly noted for her passionate speeches and effort in campaigning for world leaders to pay greater attention to the effects of climate change. Particularly, it was her empowering speech at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York last month that circulated across media outlets worldwide. And upon hearing that she had a visit planned, photographer Shane Balkowitsch jumped at the opportunity to take her picture. He was at Standing Rock Indian Reservation himself to shoot portraits of Native Americans for his project “Northern Plains Native Americans: A Modern Wet Plate Perspective.”
Speaking to PetaPixel, he said:
I reached out to my friends down there and wanted to see if she could come to my studio. Her schedule was too tight for a trip to Bismarck, so I offered to take my portable darkroom and chemicals and gear to Standing Rock, [saying]: ‘if I can get 15 minutes, we could immortalize Greta in the historic photographic process of silver on glass’ — this picture would outlast all other photographs ever taken of her or will ever be taken of her. I got the word Monday afternoon that I could have 15 minutes of her time if I traveled to the reservation and took her portrait, so that is what I did.
Pressed for time, Balkowitsch asked Thunberg’s father if he could take a second portrait, to which he obliged. Here are the results.
You can find more of Balkowitsch’s work on his website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Wet plate photos by Shane Balkowitsch. Behind-the-scenes photos by Chad Nodland, used with permission.
LOL, wet paint creates more chemical waste; oh the irony!
Yeah wet paint fumes are brutal especially the first few days after you paint your bedroom and have to sleep there
one arrow.....miss the target!
Wow...the comment section on PetaPixel for this article is just a cesspool of idiocy.
I find the comment section of Mose websites follow that trend, actually.
What was the point?
So she can look like a cowgirl?
She looks baked.
A hipster affectation- much like vinyl records... No reason you couldn't take these images with any DSLR and degrade them to look like old poor low res analogue images in post!
A lot of people really enjoy the processes involved analog photography. Why would anyone take issue with this? What are you trying to justify, Robert?
I don't have an issue with the photographer personally enjoying the process - but in terms of the final image it is a 'long run for a short slide'- a lot of work to create a look that could easily be emulated digitally in a fraction of the time (and with much more flexibility). I came from the analog film world - it taught me a lot- but I would never go back personally.
The 'process' cannot be appreciated by the outside world- only the final result- these images have to succeed on their visual merits- not because of the convoluted process that was involved in their creation. Show me the results - the news should NOT be the technique involved IMHO.
And how much fuel all these journalists around have burnt to come ?
My phone takes better Pictures than this.
poor brainwashed kid... product of extinction rebellion ...
How dare you...
You can't blame these kids for their fears. There's adults feeding them this gloom and doom on a daily basis.
As to the photograph, someone else posted that this can be reproduced with a digital image. I agree and it can be done in about 10 minutes using Light Room and your favorite plugin.
its just photography, dude looking for exposure. on other had pic looks crap to be honest she looks bit creepy.
Great to see photographers that are keeping alternative photographic processes alive.
am i the only one seeing through her acting?
Here's a question someone needs to ask her; who decided that the climate as it is today is how it's supposed to be? Over the last couple million years, Mother Earth has been much colder and much warmer. The climate is dynamic and has been for its entirety and the thought that human kind can place a thermostat on this big rock is absurd.
exactly my point, i dont deny that there is a shift of the climate happening, but one thats totally normal and happened many times in the history of our mother earth.