Shane Balkowitsch (born January 24, 1969) is an American wet plate photographer from Bismarck, North Dakota. The subject of his photos is the human condition. Since 2012 he has photographed over 4,000 individuals, including various celebrities and historical figures. On October 20, 2016, the Smithsonian Institution acquired The Real Deal, A wet plate collodion photograph of American former professional boxer Evander Holyfield taken by Balkowitch on February 28, 2015. Balkowitsch is a self-taught photographer. In 2012 Balkowitsch began researching the process of wet plate photography after reading a manual on the subject by tintype photographer John Coffer. With little experience in photography, Balkowitsch experimented with the process and took his first successful photo the same year. Since then he has produced over 4,000 plates and his work has appeared in numerous publications. He holds demonstrations in North Dakota with the use of a portable darkroom.   Websites Shane Balkowitsch William Mortensen   Sponsor Charcoal Book Club - Sign up today Chico Hot Springs Portfolio Review   Education Resources: Momenta Photographic Workshops   Candid Frame Resources Download the free Candid Frame app for your favorite smart device. Click here to download for . Click here to download Support the work we do at The Candid Frame by contributing to our Patreon effort.  You can do this by visiting or visiting the website and clicking on the Patreon button. You can also provide a one-time donation via . You can follow Ibarionex on and .