Greetings, all!

I am toying with the idea of hosting a wet plate photography weekend in 2013 on Mackinac Island, MI. I live on the Island and thought it might be fun to gather some of us together for a weekend and shoot in a very 19th century setting.

Mackinac Island is located directly between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas in Lake Huron. There is an 18th/19th century fort, over 1000 acres of wooded State Park (formerly a National Park) with numerous rock formations. The automobile has been banned since the 1890s so horse, carriage and bicycle are modes of transportation.

Equipment can be easily moved with our dray wagons or horse drawn taxis from the boat docks to just about anywhere on the island. Dark wagons can be hitched to dray wagons for convenience.

I should be able to set up some good deals for hotel rooms, secure places to store equipment etc. Here are some links to get you familiar with the Island:

Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau
Grand Hotel
Mackinac Trip Planner
Pure Michigan Mackinac Island Commercial
Mackinac in the 1800s Facebook Group

I am just putting out feelers to see what kind of interest I receive but I would love to be your host should you decide to travel up this way. Since I am looking at about 15 to 18 months out there is plenty of time to plan.

I am hosting 18 vintage base ball clubs for 5 dates this year using about the same organization methods I would with wet-platers. You are all invited for those events as well - June 9, July 7, July 28, August 18 and September 8. These guys eat up the idea of having there tintype or ambrotype captured.

Jason Kladiva
Mackinac Island, MI

I was on the Island for 2 days last fall. Wished I had known that!

I would have stopped in and picked your brain. You can only see so many of the same tourist traps .........errrrrr.. I mean the fine stores in town.

Delta

Sounds like a great place for a Wetplate event. I'd be interested if gas doesn't go too high by then.

Hello,

I am interested as well. Hope they figure out how to convert the SS. Badger to natural gas by then so I can take the short-cut!

eric nelson
chili, wis.

I just came across this post. I would be quite interested in an island wet plate gathering. I usually take the family to the island at least once a year and have wondered about shooting wet plate on the island since getting into wet plate last year. If it develops please keep me posted!

Charlie Wheelihan
Grosse Pointe Woods, MI

Charlie Wheelihan

I will keep everybody posted on this. What time of year would work best for those interested?

Jason Kladiva
Mackinac Island, Michigan

Probably Fall for me, although I will probably be making a trip to the island this summer. I will have to find out where you are and add that to our must see list.

Charlie Wheelihan