Ellen Susan: Soldier Portraits

Ellen Susan
1SG Robert Hindle
[Soldier Portraits]
2007

Ambrotype
6 x 6 in

Provided by the artist - Ellen Susan

In December 2007 an online exhibition of the cowboy portraits of Robb Kendrick was added to Luminous-Lint that used the tintype process to capture the spirit of a bygone era. In this exhibition by Ellen Susan the same technique is used for members of the United States Army in this powerful portrait series that is being widely, and deservedly, shown. Although the wet collodion process was the method of choice for portraits taken during the American Civil War it seems strangely appropriate here.

As Ellen writes:

"The necessarily long exposures of this process often result in an intensity of gaze, and the grainless, highly detailed surface brings out minute details of each individual. These attributes, combined with the historical military associations made me feel that the process could be a meaningful way to photograph contemporary soldiers to provide a counterpoint to the anonymous representations seen in newspapers and on television."

Thanks to Ellen for sharing this series with us.

There is an online exhibition of this series on Luminous-Lint.