CANNONBALL WET PLATES #1

Shooting with two plate cameras; an 8"x10" and a 5"x7", the larger one an original 1890s model, the smaller a new Chamonix using an 1860s Petzval portrait lens.  Photos by Paul d'Orléans / Susan McLaughlin.  The top shot was taken with a just-coated plate which was accidentally dropped on the van floor (by me! Big plates are awkward to handle), but I'm a fan of the unexpected, so went ahead and made the shot; I love the unexpected chemistry.  The bike is a 1928 Indian 101 Scout, with 1940 Sport Scout barrels and heads.  It was recently purchased sight unseen on Craigslist, and is now being prepared/fettled during the Cannonball.  While all participants are a little bit crazy, some are braver than others...

17 Excelsior-Henderson 4-cylinders make up the second largest group of machines, after the mega-gang of Harley 'J' models.

Another shot of the charismatic Indian Scout, here with a full complement of tools and rags...

The Mule is the only overhead-camshaft machine on the rally, and the only Velocette,  although there are two Rudges, a BSA, and a Triumph along...

Posted in: Cannonball, Henderson, Indian, Photo Shoots, Photography, Velocette, Wet Plate