Sun and Silver Photo – Vintage Handmade Portraits
Tintypes * Ambrotypes * Silver Collodion Prints
Award winning photographer based in Neenah Wisconsin
We make real images for real people – no AI, filters or digital trickery! We use the original photography techniques from the 1800’s Victorian Era. Hand made using silver and glass, wood and metal, and a lot of natural sunlight. Our mobile darkroom allows us to travel around Wisconsin and Upper Michigan.
Scheduled Popups!
We have two confirmed tintype popups. We take both walkups and appointments – Contact Me to schedule so you can be sure to get a time. We’ll be doing 4x5inch tintypes for only $50 and 5x7inch for $75. Other sizes are available by request…
Central Wisconsin Auto Collectors 44th Annual Benefit Car Show, Sunday August 23, 8am to 4pm. The show is at Brennand Airport, 3282 Breezewood Lane, Neenah. Free admission to the show. More information Here
Mid-Lakes Ag Fair and Thresheree, September 12-13, Pinecrest Village, Manitowoc, WI. The event runs 10-4 both days and we will be doing both portraits and tintypes of the historic tractors and equipment. Museum admission will be charged. See the website for more information on the event Manitowoc County Historical Society
We’re done counting down our favorite portraits of 2025. Check out the post Here
What ‘cha been doing? Well, here are some of my favorite recent portraits..
Sun and Silver.photo had a booth at the 65th Annual Art at The Park, in Appleton (July 26-27). We were judged “Best of Photography” at the show! This was such an unexpected honor and we are so thankful to the Trout Museum of Art for recognizing our work and craft!
New in 2025 – Wedding Tintype Portraits! Create an heirloom handmade photograph on your special day – see more at Weddings
Check out my Portfolio to see some of my favorite images
Learn more about the Wet Plate Collodion Process, Salt Printing, and the Cyanotype Process
I also produce a limited number of fine art photographs and handcrafted prints and offer them for sale at Sunandsilver.art
Adventures in Silver – Recent Blog Posts
- Making Tintypes at an Historical Village
We spent the day at Pinecrest Historical Village, the Manitowoc County Historical Society Museum. Pinecrest is a huge site with so many historic buildings and is a wet plate collodion delight. The morning was foggy all the way to Manitowoc but the mist burned off as we were setting up our mobile darkroom trailer. We’ll post a gallery of the tintypes we’ve made there in the future. In the mean time, here is a creation video for one of our favorite tintypes made that day! Back to our Blog Do… Read more: Making Tintypes at an Historical Village - What is an Alchemist?
In popular thinking an Alchemist is someone who believes they can turn lead into silver or gold. Yes, there were Alchemists in the olden days who tried to transmute metals. But a more fundamental concept of Alchemy involves the conversion of simple elemental forms in nature to more complex, and more valuable, forms; an Alchemist is one who converts elementals into higher forms. So what does this have to do with the wet plate process? At its most basic wet plate converts random bits of silver into organized, recognizable and… Read more: What is an Alchemist? - Tiny Little Tintype Memories
Part of the fun of creating wet plate images is you can play around with just about any size and format you like. This year I have been making a lot of really small tintypes. They run 2-3 inches on a side. The small plates are a real challenge, especially pouring the collodion without drenching your hand! Here is a little video of some of my favorite little tintype memories so far this year, Enjoy! If you enjoyed seeing my tiny tintypes why not have your own made? Contact Me… Read more: Tiny Little Tintype Memories - Raindrop on a Blade of Grass
Like a raindrop on a blade of grassShe appears,Reflecting the world around her, Not just the present, butThe Future, andThe Past. Like a raindrop on a blade of grassHere for a moment, and thenDisappears.Where did she come from andWhere did she go?Out of thin air and back again..And like the rain,Just a matter of time, andShe will be back again. A 6in x 8in wet plate collodion photograph on aluminum. Featuring Claire Voyant. Clare Voyant is a published alt model and model coach. She is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Check… Read more: Raindrop on a Blade of Grass - Spring Open Access Day 2026
In preparation for Open Access Day here are a few semi-interesting tidbits: We are doing tintypes for several reasons including the joy of working with so many talented and creative models! We will also use the images for our social and portfolio to help attract customers. Select images could be published or offered for sale. My associate Brittany will be helping with the sessions and will try and capture some digital images BTS etc. We will be doing 6×8 inch photos on aluminum all day. If I have time I… Read more: Spring Open Access Day 2026 - First Tintype with New Cooke Lens
“New” lenses in the wet plate collodion world always mean “new to me” and not new new! I recently found a lens that was recovered from a barn. It is a Cooke 8in Anastigmat lens. I pulled it apart and did a good cleaning. It had a little fungus inside but the glass had not gotten pitted yet. I 3D printed a lens board and tried it out on my Primer 12×12 camera. I made a video of the fixing step of the first tintype… Here is a still image… Read more: First Tintype with New Cooke Lens