The Wet Plate Collodion Photographic Process
Wet plate photos are often called tintypes. Atintype is aphotographmade by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer or enamel and used as the support for thephotographic emulsion. Tintypes enjoyed their widest use from the early 1850s to the 1870s.
Tintype portraits were at first usually made in a formal photographic studio, like daguerreotypes and other early types of photographs, but later they were most commonly made by photographers working in booths or the open air at fairs and carnivals, as well as by itinerant sidewalk photographers.
The tintype photograph saw more uses and captured a wider variety of settings and subjects than any other photographic type. The tintype saw the Civil War come and go, documenting the individual soldier and horrific battle scenes. It captured scenes from the wild west, as it was easy to produce by itinerant photographers working out of covered wagons.
Ag RXN (Silver Reaction) Photography is one of the only bay area businesses specialized in the wet plate photography process. Wet plate photos can be taken on metal or glass plates. For most events, metal plates or tintypes are made because they’re less expensive to produce and easier to transport.
Wet plate photos, both tintypes and ambrotypes (taken on glass) are one of a kind images, have a very unique and timely look and will last for centuries if well maintained.
When having your wet plate photo made, keep in mind that it’s a one of a kind hand made piece of art. There will be imperfections that come about by the nature of the medium and handling of the materials. The results of the image can be influenced by ambient temperature, humidity, chemistry used in the process, the quality of light and motion of the subject. Exposures in the bright shade are typically 3-5 seconds, so any movement by the subject will result in blurriness.
What makes the wet plate process unique, beyond its visual aesthetic, is the relationship established between the subject and the photographer. Unlike the anonymous nature of digital photography, there’s a collaboration between subject and photographer from creating the composition to developing the photo. It’s an extraordinary participatory event that must not be missed.