Book an Appointment

Yes, I make and sell wet plate collodion tintype portraits!

Portraiture gives me the chance to step away from artistic shoots and to apply what I have tested and learned to the making of tintype portraits. Booking a tintype portrait session requires a brief consultation on what to wear and what to expect and requires a non-refundable $50 fee that is applied to your photography session. The set-up requires a lot of labor and testing and the time involved isn’t trivial; therefore, if you should cancel on the day of the shoot or not appear at your agreed upon, scheduled time, the $50 is forfeited.

Booking

To book a portrait session, contact me at info@theactinicstudio.com or text me at 240.357.3405.

Pricing

Price per session, according to tintype dimensions:

During the session, we will make three tintypes. You choose the one you want to keep and I will varnish the plate. You are welcome to purchase the other plates at a discount! I will also provide you with a social media–ready digital file for your personal use and for your archives only. I, as the photographer, retain the copyright for physical reproductions. We can discuss paper prints at an additional cost, but the tintypes will be better than a paper facsimile.

One tintype (column 1) is included in the cost of each session. For additional plates to be purchased, see columns 2 and 3 below, for additional costs per plate.

Before Your Appointment

The process is time-consuming and laborious and requires pouring solutions on the metal plate, incubating the plate in a silver bath, making the exposure, developing the plate, and fixing the image, and varnishing the tintype for long-term posterity! The varnish requires a couple days to dry. At that time, you can either pick up the tintype, which will be safely slipped into an archivally safe envelope, or I can mail it to you for a nominal shipping fee. Each session lasts approximately 1-1.5 hours; therefore, arriving early (i.e., 10-15 minutes) is encouraged to make certain we are ready to begin at the appointed session time. Early arrival is critically important if you plan to apply make-up at the session rather than before.

Things Happen

Is your happiness guaranteed? In a word, no. The process is straight-forward, but occasionally the unexpected happens. You can be assured that all of the chemicals, lenses, camera, and plate holders used are thoroughly clean, but sometimes chemicals have a way of making their presence known in the tintype plates. This is, after all, a process that is hand-made and was defined in 1851, during the Victorian era. What you see is what you get. You can, however, expect every effort to be made to assure the best possible image is made on each of the three tintypes. Some people even prefer the occasional marks as they provide evidence of the process and the maker’s hand.