The Antique Photography Studio wants to awake desires to explore this antique photographic processes, to arise respect for those who made things by themselves. We want people to look forward to take a class again, we want to make people explode with enthusiasm. We want to create a future by opening a window through the past. Historic preservation is a priority topic.

Wet plate collodion photography is a historic photographic process practiced in the 1800’s, when glass or metal plates were used instead of film to hold a thin layer of light-sensitive iodized collodion which produced the most beautiful portraits and stunning photographs ever made, all done by hand, crafted by expert and dedicated photographers. There are just a handful of artists working with these processes today in the world.

Photographs in collodion are done in different sizes, from teeny tiny miniatures to oversized mammoth plates. We use bulky wood cameras, original brass lenses and raw chemicals. We are focused on historic preservation and antique photography processes like the wet plate collodion, albumen print and film photography.

We do believe that the only way to build a future is by creating foundations on our own history. People only love those things they know.

The Antique Photography Studio was created by German Murillo, photographer based in Denver, Colorado with some years on the making. A short BIO:

1991 German Studies photography at Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Gets a job as laboratory guy at El Tiempo newspaper, but passionate about being a photographer, his pictures soon appear on the pages.

1992 Shoots street theatre photography at the Festival Iberoamericano de Teatro de Bogota. Is captivated by the movement and vitality of performers and the effect they cause on the people. Participates in Muestra Nuestra exhibition with his documentary series Sangre Morena, a glimpse of the black people who live in El Chocó, the wettest place on earth where there is no electricity because lack of infrastructure. People who do not have any comforts or even food, but still seem happy.

1993 Works as a photographer for the Colombian International Relationships Ministry. Photograph visits and meetings with presidents, ministers, politicians, all sorts of personalities, and travels as part of the Diplomatic Committee. This experience enriches his background but diplomacy is not in his interests.

1994 Plans the series Cúpulas de la Candelaria, a development of Bogota's historical research through the study of the domes built in the capitals downtown since the times of its foundation. Several pictures are made. Presents Fotografía de las Simples Cosas, an exhibition about simple details and an exploration on composition.

1995 Starts the work on Barro Cocido, a series that uncovers the similarities between men and bricks, once they are removed from the wall to be portrayed as singular and unrepeatable beings. An investigation about its history and technology accompanies the images. This will take almost 5 years.

1997 Joins El Espectador newspaper as a staff photojournalist. First approach to the Colombian war with his reportage about the mass killing in Mapiripán. An assignment that will change not his photographic prospective but his angle to confront life. Is invited to take part in the Festival Internacional de Jazz del Teatro Libre as a permanent photographer. This complements and nurtures the scenic theater experience, which has been in development for years.

1998 Covers the Vuelta a Colombia, a two-week bike tour around the country and its magnificent geography, sports photography on the move

1999 The devastating Armenia earthquake in Colombia. A coverage on a natural disaster that turns into an outstanding experience of social service photojournalism. Participates in a documentary photography workshop with Ernesto Bazán, at the Fundación para el Nuevo Periodismo Latinoamericano. This enriches his graphic reporter experience and reaffirms the documentary as his way to go on photography.

2000 Spends three weeks documenting Ecuador, its faces and contrasts, from the mountains and volcanoes to the Amazonian forest and the humpback whales on the coast.

2001 A commercial assignment gives him another round around Colombia shooting a chain of executive hotels in the country.

2004 Presents in Miami Barro Cocido, the exhibition intended to be shown in Bogota, but which galleries denied the chance to show this project about their own identity.

2006 Starts working as digital artist for Crispin Porter & Bogusky, worldwide pioneer advertising agency.

2007 His experience on the west coast shooting Seattle, Mount Rainier and the Quinault reservation while searching after chief Sealth's footprints, focus his attention toward the landscape and its magnificent proportions, designs, shapes, colors, harmonies and sensations, which becomes his main subject. The making of a book about ecology and the chief Sealth takes shape. The project is still in process.

2008 Moves to Boulder, Colorado, and immediately connects with the beauty and variety of the new landscape an environment, having for the first time in life four seasons a year.

2009 Starts working the series Natural Design, where goes deeper into nature's shapes and intricate formations with a subjective, graphic designer vision, intending to point how the greatest designer is up out there.

2010 The release of his book Momentos comes as an answer to thousands of images from the old times, film based pictures all of them, asking for get released to tell their untold stories. Ten non-related moments were put together to spin around a single motif, photography.

Marries Nellyreth

Portraits was the natural reaction to the work done in the last years. The search for abstraction, shapes, nature and the long distance contact with documentary was claiming for the close contact with people again. This time in a way barely confronted in the past, a series which direction is just being defined.

2011 Along the portrait series came Geographaces, a photographic essay about the human face geography. The book is self published. Starts shooting commercial assignments again. Because of those connections in life, he meets Quinn Jacobson, who introduces German to the wet plate photography and Ray Tomasso who tutors him in the paper making art. Begins his process to work his next art project.

Some photographs are selected for different exhibitions in the country.

2012 Starts working as a photographer and graphic designer freelancer. Crates the Antique Photography Studio.

Miranda is born, a new light in his life.

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