I helped photograph tintype portraits with a few other photographers for guests that came to Maker Faire Milwaukee this year. It was so much fun seeing everyones reaction to such an old process.
My only one complaint is that in today's day and age there is a large disconnect between the tintype process and photography as a whole. Photographs should be cherished, with digital you can shoot 500+ photos and toss out 499 just to get that one good photo. With traditional darkroom practices, especially tintypes, every photograph needs to be well thought out and focused which takes time. The process of creating tintype portraits is roughly 150-175 years old and a very, VERY slow process. When guests saw the results and heard that we were taking FREE photographs they imagined that the result would be instantaneous like a polaroid camera, or a digital image on a fancy smartphone. In reality this is probably why just about no one uses this technique anymore(especially for large groups or parties) because each print must be processed in a mobile darkroom for 10-15 minutes, and then washed for roughly 25 minutes, and then put out to dry.
One of the photos displayed below, the gentleman shared that he used the very same camera model that I was using to take photos in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. I have never been one for history and memorizing dates, but I do believe in the preservation of stories, and specifically with equipment and tools that the aura of the artists lives on in the camera. I always tell people that my Speed Graphic 4x5 camera was used to shoot GM cars as they came off the assembly line.
How cool is that?
Take a look at some of the results of the two days of shooting. All photos are printed on aluminum.
Stay tuned!
Comments
Post a Comment