In the News: The rare art of Shane Balkowitsch

BISMARCK - Shane Balkowitsch had never owned a camera prior to 2012, when he first saw an image captured by wet plate photography on Facebook - a picture of a motorcycle body.

Something about that image captured his imagination, and it set him down a path toward learning the dying art for himself.

Despite his lack of photography experience, Balkowitsch threw himself towards wet plate photography around thirteen years ago, and now his work lives in over 100 museums worldwide, including the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian and the University of Oxford, where he recently visited and gave a presentation on his craft.

Wet plate photography originated in the middle of the nineteenth century, and for the most part, stayed there. Although, there are a few who saw value in the craft and continue its practice. According to Balkowitsch, there are only around 1,000 others like him, who still practice the art of wet plate photography.

The process is completely unlike modern digital photography. One major difference is simply the pace. Balkowitsch, over 13 years, has produced 5,604 images. Compare that to a modern digital photographer, who could easily take that volume of pictures in one weekend.

The method of wet plate photography is slow and delicate. The wet plate process relies on a series of chemical reactions involving light sensitive particles to create an image of silver on a 3 mm pane of glass. The process is a series of many steps that require precision and close attention, and failure at any step could result in an indiscernible or nonexistent photograph.

This is perhaps the most unique thing about wet plate photography - time. It takes time and patience to prepare the compassion of an image, to prepare the plate, to develop the plate and to wait for the plate to be ready for varnish. But, there's also this - the time it takes the camera to take the photo.

At Balkowitsch's studio, he takes photos in front of a wall of north-facing windows (indirect light mitigates shadows and harshness, he explained). His subjects sit facing these windows, and when it comes time for the portrait to be taken, absolute stillness is required, given the long exposure time, which is around 10 seconds.

For Balkowitsch, this is part of the magic of wet plate photography. Holding one of his wet plates, he said:

"With this portrait in my hand, you could have a thought. And the thought could transfer to the plate. Modern day photography is so fast. There's no opportunity for you to actually think something while I'm taking your picture. And I love that about wet plate."

The other thing about Balkowitsch's photographs is that they will outlive him by several centuries, so long as they don't break or get wet. Balkowitsch has a silver coin that reminds him of this - on side with varnish and one without. He remembers that he could drop that silver coin in the grass, and it could stay there, unbothered for centuries. Since the medium for his work is silver, they, like the coin, will not decay for years to come. The longevity alone of Balkowitsch's work is cause for celebration.

Balkowitsch's work is gritty and precise - and he eschews smiling. He prefers to capture people plainly, for his portraits to be real.

Balkowitsch's biggest project, and the one for which he is most well known, is his goal to photograph 1,000 Native Americans.

The project started when Balkowitsch had the opportunity to photograph Ernie Lapointe, the great-grandson of Sitting Bull. Over 130 years earlier, Sitting Bull himself was photographed in Bismarck by Orlando Scott Goff using the same wet plate method and in the same city as his great-grandson's portrait.

Now, Balkowitsch has released three volumes of these Native American portraits, as he inches his way closer and closer to his goal of 1,000 wet plate portraits. Balkowitsch has also photographed prominent people such as Josh Duhamel , Jordan Peterson, Greta Thunberg , Shailene Woodley and more.

One of Balkowitsch's most recent endeavors, though, has been teaching ART 199 at Bismarck State College. Since January 2025, Balkowitsch has invited students to his studio for a 16 week class with the final goal of producing their own wet plate.

"I'm bringing new wet plate artists into the world. I can't tell you how rewarding that is," Balkowitsch said.

Balkowitsch's next speaking engagement will be right here in Dickinson. On February 9 at 6 pm, Balkowitsch will present at Klinefelter Hall at Dickinson State University. The event is free and open to the public.