One of the most interesting and compelling reasons why I choose historic and analog chemical-based processes for my artwork is because of the flexibility, challenge and the element of “magic” is always there. More importantly it is how “I see” and it just feels right to me. I’m in the process of writing a new series of articles on historic dry-plate processes that range from tintypes, also known as ferrotypes, ambrotypes which is the same process as tinypes but on glass and also silver-gelatin dry-plates which act and behave like modern film (negative) versus being a reversal (positive) process like the tintypes, ambrotypes and wet-plate collodion.
The tintypes (metal) and ambrotypes (glass) use a special reversal developer that requires a black background on the respective medium. In the case of the tintypes I use black paint as the sublayer, binding agent for the emulsion as well as the background. For the ambrotypes on glass I use a gelatin binding agent and then put a piece of black material behind the glass plate to make the image appear visible. There is nothing like an ambrotype mounted in a shadow box or a tintype mounted in a hand-made leather frame or a wooden frame made from reclaimed barnwood.
In both cases a silver-based liquid emulsion is used (e.g., liquid light, AG-Plus, Black Magic) as the sensitizing agent for exposure. If you are really crazy you can make your own emulsion too. This is one reason why the argument of film and if it will be around or not doesn’t matter to me. I mix and hand coat my own negatives on paper, glass, and various metals so while I do enjoy shooting Tri-X or T-Max from time to time it really doesn’t impact much of my artwork.
One can expose the image in a large format camera just as we do with modern sheet film or you can take a positive slide and either project in on the sensitized plate or make a contact print. You can also use a pinhole camera as well completely bypassing all modern advances with any type of lens, bellows, or movements associated with large format cameras. I personally use vintage soft focus lenses most of the time, but use pinhole from time to time for great results. Then by using the special reversal developer the image appears on the medium and normal hardened fixer is used to fix the image and make it permanent.
The interesting twist is that you have the option of using the same liquid emulsion as described above, but using it as a negative versus a reversal (positive). You can either sub the glass plate and expose it in your large format camera or you can coat a plate, glass or metal, and then either contact print it with a negative or use your traditional darkroom enlarger and then develop with your standard darkroom developer (e.g., Dektol) and fix as you would traditional silver gelatin paper. All of these processes produce slightly different looks and a vast array of artistic choices that can be used and combined for an endless set of options. These processes are quirky, frustrating at times and very slow. In some cases the time between steps is a minimum of 24 hours.
For example, when I prepare my tintypes I have to clean, scuff and lay down the oil based paint layer and then let dry for a minimum of 24 hrs. Then when I head to the darkroom and lay down the emulsion I have to let the plates age for at least 24 hrs in total darkness. I typically mix my developer the day before exposure because it needs to age a minimum of 24 hrs as well before use. As you can see, you have several days tied up in making a single exposure and I haven’t even discussed how to determine your ISO/ASA yet.
In an interest to get the ball rolling I have included a snippet from Robert Leggat’s, A History of Photography book. If you haven’t read this book, I would highly recommend it. I will be detailing all of these processes in the next set of articles and companion videos.
What’s the difference between wet-plate (collodion) and dry-plate tintypes?
“The development of the Collodion process marked a watershed in the development of photography. However, this wet-plate process had limitations, one being that it was necessary to keep the collodion moist. For a number of years several attempts were made to discover ways of keeping the collodion moist for long periods. The materials tried included unusual ones like licorice, beer and raspberry syrup! Some success was achieved by using a mixture of bromide in collodion. The ideal binder would be one which enabled the plates to be used only when dry. It was not until 1871 that the next breakthrough was achieved by Dr Richard Leach Maddox, when he began using gelatin. In fact, as far back as 1850 Robert Bingham had suggested the use of gelatin, but this idea had not been taken up at the time, presumably because of the announcement of the collodion process the following year.
“Gelatin is a protein obtained from animals, which is transparent and odorless, and used in a number of food processes. The first account of its use in photography is in the British Journal of Photography for 8 September 1871, when Maddox suggested that the sensitizing chemicals could be coated on to a glass plate in a gelatin rather than a collodion emulsion. Maddox’s process, though revolutionary, was far slower than collodion. Several manufacturers experimented with it, the most successful being Charles Bennett, who in 1878 announced a new gelatin dry plate process. This was a major breakthrough, particularly since Bennett’s process also considerably enhanced the sensitivity of the emulsion, reducing the exposure time to one tenth of that required for the collodion one.
“The dry process relieved photographers of the need to carry about their own darkroom and chemicals; exposure could now be made on location, development being left until much later; it also let to a greater degree of standardization, and a more scientific approach to photography; the science of sensitomertry was introduced at around this period, and exposure calculators now began to appear. By the end of that decade the dry plate had superseded the wet plate entirely.”
Tim
According to Flickr here are my most interesting photos.
![Vintage 6 1/2\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7170/6743481811_1d0f450ae9_s.jpg "Vintage 6 1/2\")
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Tim Layton
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You might be thinking the article title is something that dates back to the beginnings of photography. If you think so, you would be wrong. There is a very exciting new project that is happening today that has lead to the production of the worlds largest camera in history and it’s not a spoof, gimmick or joke. It is the real deal. Dennis Manarchy has pulled together a project called “
![Vintage Lantern - Triplet 12\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7023/6480541593_9550383869_s.jpg "Vintage Lantern - Triplet 12\")
![Vintage Baby Shoes - Triplet 12\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7005/6488616043_a591f2a793_s.jpg "Vintage Baby Shoes - Triplet 12\")
![Vintage Wooden Chest - Triplet 12\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7012/6496013439_3193b229c0_s.jpg "Vintage Wooden Chest - Triplet 12\")
![Vintage Measuring Cup - Triplet 12\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7153/6502711491_e636537ca4_s.jpg "Vintage Measuring Cup - Triplet 12\")
![Vintage Jug - Triplet 12\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7175/6502831371_5146a36f6a_s.jpg "Vintage Jug - Triplet 12\")
![Vintage Wooden Crate - Triplet 12\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7019/6503408369_94d55e0667_s.jpg "Vintage Wooden Crate - Triplet 12\")
![Vintage Iron - Triplet 12\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7152/6507894433_43cc08a4d6_s.jpg "Vintage Iron - Triplet 12\")
![Winter Landscape - Stream - Verito 14 1/2\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7154/6556878937_65687fd357_s.jpg "Winter Landscape - Stream - Verito 14 1/2\")
![Winter Landscape - Waterfall - Verito 14 1/2\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7019/6556873005_f3e70f0bba_s.jpg "Winter Landscape - Waterfall - Verito 14 1/2\")
![Winter Landscape - Island - Verito 14 1/2\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7170/6556872445_5f503e19c9_s.jpg "Winter Landscape - Island - Verito 14 1/2\")
![Winter Landscape - Island - Verito 14 1/2\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7015/6556872097_6f06f9d1b4_s.jpg "Winter Landscape - Island - Verito 14 1/2\")
![Winter Landscape - Japanese Bridge - Verito 14 1/2\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7170/6556871429_834cf544bc_s.jpg "Winter Landscape - Japanese Bridge - Verito 14 1/2\")
![Winter Landscape - Dock - Verito 14 1/2\](http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7035/6556870695_32003e3e25_s.jpg "Winter Landscape - Dock - Verito 14 1/2\")
I get a lot of questions about large format photography and so I wanted to put the question out to the group here and get your feedback. If I hosted a one day large format field event how many people would want to come?
