Balkowitsch (2020)

Shane Balkowitsch had always loved art, but never thought of himself as much of an artist. Instead, he focused on growing a family, practicing as an oncology nurse, and starting a successful e-commerce business that he still operates today. However, his life changed in August 2012 when Balkowitsch was 44 years-old and searching for a creative outlet. He became captivated by an image online from a friend that he came to learn was captured using the wet plate collodion process. Balkowitsch had no formal training in photography. His only camera, a phone. But driven by curiosity and passion, he decided to learn this very archaic and complex process of photography. Forty-five days after that image had grabbed hold of his soul, he made his first wet plate. Fast forward to present day, only eight years later, operating out of one of the most renowned natural light wet plate studios in the world, Balkowitsch has captured nearly 4,000 plates. Many of his Native American photos have been permanently curated by the North Dakota Historical Society. A plate of Evander Holyfield was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution only two years after becoming a wet plate photographer. His latest notable photoshoot was with Greta Thunberg at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, the plate garnered millions of views around the world, has caused controversy in his hometown, and is being archived at the Library of Congress.