Mot Met Studio is located between Da Nang and Hoi An in central Viet Nam. The studio sits at the junction of coastal sand dunes and agrarian farmland, where water buffaloes wallow amidst rice fields and lotus ponds.
From this idyllic Vietnamese countryside setting, Boris and Hugo conjure magical images on wet plate collodion. The studio has the following layout specifications: two shooting platforms, one for daylight (5x8m and 4m high) and one with strobe lights (8x8m and 6m high) (600W and 6400W).
The two platforms when combined gives a huge space of 8x13m. One darkroom and one laboratory in which the chemicals are made, housed and handled. Space for make-up and preparation for models. A dedicated chill-out room. Mot Met has three unique cameras:
The first one is a refurbished 150 year old camera, allowing us to make 25x25cm and 50x50cm Ambrotype.
The second one is a homemade juggernaut camera that allows us to make 1x1m Ambrotype.
The third and most unique is not a camera of normal conception but instead welcomes you into the studio itself.
By closing off the studio, it becomes an imaginarium inside the full expanse of the building to frame truly unique compositions. This allows us to customize the shape and size of the glass plate as we please, up to a physical limit of 2x2m.
People of Mot Met
Boris Zuliani
In 2007, Boris, a French photographer with two decades of experience, arrived in Vietnam, bringing along 5000 boxes of Polaroid film. Upon moving to Hoi An, he met Francis Roux, a talented carpenter, who helped turn his vision into reality - a hand-made wooden camera for a 100×100 glass wet plate.
With the addition of Hugo Armano, the team expanded and created an even larger handmade camera for a 1mx1m glass wet plate.
Their efforts culminated in the Mot Met Studio, offering a bespoke 'in-camera' experience, producing limited edition 2mx2m wet plate results, and 1:1 ratio portraits.
Hugo Armano
Family connections to Viet Nam brought Hugo on an adventure that would change his life. After more than a decade living in Hoi An, his chance meeting with Boris allowed Hugo’s skills as a studio assistant to further develop the project at Mot Met.
His practical execution helps the whole creative operation to come to fruition. Hugo’s engagement with clients, production planning and logistics enable the studio to run as smoothly as possible.