Crowd funding is becoming increasingly popular among creative. With more sites springing up and more artists asking for funds, Don’t Take Pictures spotlights projects that benefit the arts community.

The month’s crowdfunding roundup presents an dry plate photography initiative.

Galaxy Photographic Dry Plates for Large Format

Collodion photographs are experiencing a revival in fine art photography and Galaxy Photography has launched a Kickstarter initiative to produce dry plates for photographers seeking the sharp rendering and beautiful tonal range of a glass plate negative without the logistical hurdles of wet plates.

Before the invention of dry plates in 1871, photographers used wet plates for collodion photography, which as the name suggests, had to be developed instantaneously while the glass plate chemistry was still wet. The dry plate produced the same quality glass negative, but the (dry) chemistry allowed the plate to be developed at a later time, opening up possibilities for photographing on location and storing plates. While dry plates are being still made today by photographers who specialize in alternative and antique photographic processes, the instructions and materials to coat plates are not easily available to many of the medium’s newcomers. Galaxy Photography is looking to raise funds to produce pre-coated dry plates and dry plate holders that will allow photographers to test the waters of this historic process.

The plates come in pack of 10 and are available in 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, and mammoth 16x20. With a fundraising stretch goal of $300,000., Galaxy is looking to build their own glass-coating facility but the company is no rookie when it comes to the preservation of historic processes. Their previous Kickstarter project revived direct positive photo paper for reversal that had been manufactured by Kodak 70 years ago. Following that project’s success, Galaxy recreated photographer’s notebooks that were among some of the most popular products for photographers in the last century.

Read more about Galaxy on their Kickstarter page.

There are 11 days left to fund this project.

Do you know of a crowdfunding project that benefits the art community? Let us know at info@donttakepictures.com.