Yesterday I attended an NZIPP event where you could get a tin type portrait of yourself from the very talented Brian and Jane of Brass and Glass Photographic Alchemy with their replica Victorian darkroom. You can check out their Facebook page here which shows some of their amazing work. The photographic process that they use is from the 1850s and they use an 1890s bellows camera to take the photos.
Brian puts a plate inside the camera and then takes off the lens cap to expose the photo. Exposure times vary depending on the available light. Then he takes it into the darkroom and coats it using the wet-plate collodion process and then it goes through a couple of baths and gets washed, then dried with a bunsen burner and coated in vanish. It should last 150 years if looked after. Brian said, if it doesn’t last 150 years to come back to him for another one!!!!
I had to sit completely still for 5 seconds. This was extremely hard and my face is a little soft due to slight movement. I was told I could blink and breathe but I am pretty sure I was holding my breath the whole time. And my eyes kind of felt like they were popping out of my head – I should have just blinked. It was a relief when the 5 seconds were up!
Here are some photos of some of the process (thanks Craig from Furtography for the cellphone photos of me) and finally the tin-type photo of me! I am going to frame this photo and hang it on my wall of family photos. It is glossy and metallic looking. It has an old world sheen and it takes a lot of effort to make it – something that I really appreciate. It is a totally unique profile shot for my website. Thanks Brian and Jane!
