Shore with Blue Sea

Want to learn how to create and develop your own? This is a three-day commitment, but by the time you leave you will have the knowledge and confidence to shoot and process your own tintypes.

This is an intensive private three day workshop to learn enough to get a head start on your own in using the wet plate collodion process. Learn about the history, the steps of the process and the techniques to achieve good results. You will have the opportunity to mix and use your own chemistry using different recipes. Each step of the process will be demonstrated and practiced including learning to flow collodion on the plate, sensitizing in silver, exposure, development, fixing, drying and varnishing. Using large format 4×5 cameras you will create wet plates on both metal and glass that will be prepared by you.

We will explore different light sources that can be used for portraits and still life. You will also learn the basics of camera theory, lens, shutters, how to varnish plates, how to maintain working silver baths, and also look at darkbox/darkroom setups. As your confidence grows over the two days with supervision as required you will also have the opportunity to shoot on an 8×10 camera.

A basic knowledge of photography will help but not necessary to take this workshop. I will share with you the tricks I have learned on my journey. Located in Hamilton NJ, I am close to main line stations from New York and Philadelphia. You will leave the workshop with your own plates, documentation, and a good working knowledge of this amazing Victorian technology. All materials will be supplied.

Read a first hand experience

Read another first hand experience

What the workshop covers:

A brief history of the early dawn of photography and the emergence of wet plate collodion

The Camera Obscura

Examine examples of different types of wet plate collodion plates

Darkroom/Darkbox

Camera options

Lenses options

Shutters

Lighting options – Strobe, Slow, and Outdoor

The Chemicals

The Process steps

Substratum prep metal and glass (glass cutting, burring, albumen)

Chemical prep and recipe options

Practice techniques – flowing collodion, silver sensitizing, development techniques, fixing, washing, drying

Experiment with lights

Portraits and still life   

Maintenance

Varnishing plates 

Review plates with group 

Three Day Wet Plate Collodion Workshop

Wet Plate Collodion Tintype Workshop

3 day Tintype Workshop

Are You Ready To Learn?