Cathedral Rock, Down the Valley 1861

This is "Cathedral Rock, Down the Valley," a photograph by Carleton Watkins. It's a contact print, meaning the negative was the same size as the final image – a testament to the cumbersome equipment Watkins hauled into Yosemite. Wet plate collodion was the process. A glass plate was coated with light-sensitive chemicals, exposed in the camera while still wet, and then developed immediately. This was all done in a portable darkroom tent, right there in the wilderness. The tonal range in the image is incredible. Look at the way the light plays across the water, the subtle gradations in the distant rock formations. This wasn't just about capturing a scene; it was about controlling a complex chemical process under challenging conditions, and the final result speaks volumes about Watkins's skill, not only as an artist but as a technician. Watkins’s photographs were instrumental in convincing Congress to protect Yosemite as a national park. This image isn't just a pretty picture; it's a document of a place, and a powerful argument for its preservation.