I had the wonderful opportunity to have my portrait taken by Rikard himself.  While sitting on the chair I had to decide how I wanted to pose for the camera and remain as still as possible.  In order for the photo to work properly,  the subject cannot move at all while the photo is being captured.  But it's not like taking a normal photo.  

The wet plate needs to be exposed to light for a certain period of time. This meant I had to stay still, with my head against a head brace for 10 to 15 seconds and believe me - it's a lot harder than you may think it is!  It made me realise why people in the Victorian era always seemed to look sombre or stern in their photos, it's because it's very hard to smile for 15 seconds with bright lights in your face!

We took two photos.  Rikard and myself felt that the second one was better because of my serious facial expression.  This type of photography better depicts this as opposed to your everyday cheesy smile! 

Once Rikard poured the developer over the plate, I marveled at the photo as it developed.

The fact that it wasn't perferct, that it had marks and fingerprints on it, was what made it even more authentic.  Instantly, I looked as though I had come straight from the 19th Century and no other camera had made my skin look as smooth as this one did!