Jody Ake creates portraits, nudes, still lifes and landscape images using the wet collodion process, an historic photographic technique which involves using a large format camera, glass plates, and hand-mixing all of the necessary chemicals for each and every exposure.

Invented in 1851, the method entails coating a glass plate with collodion, sensitizing the plate with silver nitrate and exposing the plate while it is still wet. The end result are ambrotypes, appearing on glass in the form of a negative until backed by black velvet, thus rendering the positive.

Ake says this about this series:

“I believe the portrait discloses more about the subject than what is found on the surface. The subject, either willingly or subconsciously, shows us more then they intend. The camera can see more than the naked eye, moving past our persona and catching a glimpse of who we really are.”

—LensCulture