Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Tintype?
A tintype is an image made with silver on a piece of blackened metal. Developed in the 1850’s, Tintyping was one of the earliest forms of photography and the first to become widespread and accessible to the general public. A tintype is also one of photography’s most durable forms of image making with early examples still retaining their clarity after nearly 170 years!
How is a tintype made?
Tintyping employs the Wet Plate Collodion process. This process uses plain collodion mixed with a combination of iodide and bromide salts which is then poured onto a blackened aluminum plate to create a piece of film. The plate is then put into a silver nitrate bath to sensitize it to the blue and UV spectrums of light. The sensitized plate is then put into a plate holder and placed into a large format camera. After exposure, the plate is developed in a darkroom with an iron sulfate solution and a feint image begins to emerge. Excess developer is washed off the plate with water to stop development and the plate is then placed in a fixing bath of sodium thiosulfate. Fixing the image can be witnessed in available light and offers a wow! moment when the cloudy surface of the plate fades away to reveal a highly detailed silvery image. The plate is washed and dried before a protective varnish is applied to the surface. The finished tintype is now a highly stable and durable photograph that will last for years.
How long does it take and how many shots do i get?
Tintypes must be made while the chemistry is still wet so from start to finish a single shot takes about 15 minutes. You will be able to witness me preparing the plate with the chemistry before taking the picture and will also get to witness the image appearing on the plate in the fixing stage of the process. It is a meticulous and particular process so imperfections can be common but often add to the character of a truly unique photo.
Sitting Fees are for 1 tintype but additional plates can be shot for 50.00 per plate. I will reshoot a plate at my discretion for no cost if a process error occurs that affects the image in a catastrophic way.
What should i wear?
Anything you want but be aware that this process only reacts to the Blue and UV spectrum so skin tones and colors will appear differently than expected at times. Cooler bluish hues will render brighter while warmer reddish hues will become darker. The UV spectrum will also reveal more sun damage in the image than we can see normally so wearing foundation can help cover any sunspots that may be present.
What size tintypes do you offer?
Currently i am working exclusively with 8x10 inch tintypes but i am actively working on being able to offer 11x14 inch plates in the near future. I am also looking into offering 4x5 inch and 5x7 inch plates.