Portrait Archives

Ambrotypes with Nataly

Ambrotype / Blog / Portrait / Wet Plate Collodion

July is a perfect time to do Ambrotypes with Nataly. This was the first time I fully utilized the real estate of my 12x12 Primer camera and made 12 inch by 12 inch glass plate. Silver collodion on glass is also know as an Ambrotype. It doesn't sound like a big change going from an 8x10 inch image to a 12x12 inch image but the 12x12 is actually 80% bigger. That means 80% more chemical and 80% more area to cover evenly with collodion. It also means 80% more to cover with developer as quickly as possible. So.. how did…

2025 Pinecrest Village Makers Market

Blog / Popup / Portrait / Tintype

We did a super fun tintype popup at the 2025 Makers Market - Pinecrest Village, Manitowoc. The Makers Market features dozens of historical artists and creators and is sponsored by the Manitowoc County Historical Society. Makers practice handmade craft from the 18th and 19th centuries and include pottery, blacksmithing, wooden shoes, sewing, cloth making & weaving, wood working and (of course) tintype photography invented in 1851. We had so much fun over the weekend. Met a lot of old friends and made some new ones. I only wish I had had more time to get portraits of all the wonderful…

Tintype Portrait of an Artist

Blog / Popup / Portrait / Tintype

We spent a wonderful weekend doing a Tintype Popup at Pinecrest Historical Village in Manitowoc. The event was the Manitowoc Historical Society's annual Makers Market. While there we did portraits of both visitors and as many of the Makers as we had time for. Here is an 8x10 tintype portrait of Emma, an historical pottery artist and creator. What is a "Maker" and why do they need a Market? A Maker is someone who creates handcrafted items using historical methods and processes. Maker's specialize in products that are heritage-inspired, well designed, long lasting and sustainably produced. Examples of Maker artists…

Vintage Tia

Blog / Portrait / Vintage Lens

We spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon creating test tintypes with artists of Cloud Nine Fire Show After the light faded we switched to digital photos and had some fun! Tia (also know as TLKonfire) posed for some amazing captures with two of my vintage lenses. The picture above was taken with my SMC Takumar 135mm f/2.5 lens. The Takumar is around 60 years old and still takes wonderful portraits. Next is another Takumar portrait taken stopped at f/3.5 to highlight Tia's beautiful eyes and her body art. The colors and contrast are why I love vintage lenses. We next switched…

Sweet Petzval Swirl

Blog / Portrait / Tintype / Vintage Lens

Sweet Petzval Swirl... What could be better than creating tintype portraits on a Saturday afternoon in May? We met in Doty Park, Neenah Wisconsin, and did a nice set of plates - this is my favorite. This 8x10 inch portrait was done with my Wollensak Petzval portrait lens. It is over 100 years old and I purchased it just this year. I am still learning how to optimize this lens but I can say that is the most amazing lens I own. Big, heavy, beautiful patina and the glass is in great condition. The Petzval lens was designed by Jozef…

Wet Plate Portraits of Madeline

Ambrotype / Blog / Portrait

It was a dark and stormy day. Not enough light coming through the windows so we had to resort to Speedotron strobes. It was also cold - near freezing in my darkroom and that caused a lot of "noise" in the final image. But yet, somehow, we managed to make some very nice wet plate portraits of Madeline. The wet plate above is a 10x12 inch tintype - a photograph on a metal plate. This plate has a lot of what I call "character"; others call it "flaws". The white specs are from cold developing chemistry and I have no…

Danica Victorian Orotone

Blog / Orotone / Portrait

The beautiful Wisconsin model Danica captured in an historic Orotone portrait. The images is an 8x10 print on glass and created using real silver and gold. It is very difficult to take a picture of an Orotone and capture their true beauty. The tones shimmer in real life and Danica appears to float in the glass as you move the plate. An Orotone is a photographic print. It is created from a photo negative created in a camera. Here is a 30 second video showing the basic process of printing an Orotone. I will have a few Orotones available for…

Morgan House Popup – Tintypes

Blog / Popup / Portrait / Tintype

We had a snowy but wonderful day at the Morgan House in Oshkosh. Their Vintage Valentine was a wonderful day of history, music and some yummy snacks! Here are photos of the final tintypes from the popup including download links. A big thank you to all the people who braved the snow to have a hand made portrait taken! Download File Download File Download File Download File Download File Download File Download File Download File Download File Download File Download File More Sun and Silver.photo blog posts

Vintage Nataly – Part II

Blog / Portrait

Part II of my session with Nataly using vintage lenses - See Part I Here. While most of my work here focuses on Victorian photo methods, I also do film and digital photography. One of my favorite things to do is adapt old "vintage" lenses to my digital cameras. Old lenses are technically inferior to modern lenses, they "flare" in bright light and have aberrations and distortions that show up in the image. Sharpness and resolution are issues. So why use them? Because they lenses produce beautiful and interesting images! The images have character and the "flaws" add ambiance... Nataly…

Vintage Nataly

Blog / Portrait

While most of my work here focuses on Victorian photo methods, I also do film and digital photography. One of my favorite things to do is adapt old "vintage" lenses to my digital cameras. Old lenses are technically inferior to modern lenses, they "flare" in bright light and have aberrations and distortions that show up in the image. Sharpness and resolution are issues. So why use them? Because they lenses produce beautiful and interesting images! The images have character and the "flaws" add ambiance... Nataly and I went out on a not-so-cold December afternoon to make some portraits with vintage…

Tuesday in The Park

Blog / Portrait / Tintype / Wet Plate Collodion

It was Tintype Tuesday in the Park. The weather, and the light, was variable. Cloudy to sunny to partly sunny and back to clouds! Rain all morning but we managed to get a window of dryness. They say "the show must go on" so we worked through the continuously variable light. Smith Park, Menasha, was the location and Victorian era costumes were the order of the day - a perfect fit with Victorian era photography! After the more formal portraits we switched it up. You know the party is starting when the bag of stuffed Paddington Bears is opened up!…

Riverside with Nataly

Riverside Tintypes with Nataly

Blog / Portrait / Tintype

Wonderful session Riverside tintypes with Nataly. The 1st of February and almost 50 degrees temperature is an excellent opportunity for making some tintypes. We met at Riverside Park in Neenah and had fun around the fountain and by the river. The fountain is “Playing in The Rain” by Dallas J. Anderson. And is fun and whimsical. Someone dresses the children in knit hats for the Winter! Nataly came in a stunning red dress and had a lot of fun with the children in the fountain – almost as if Summer is just around the corner. Our first pose in the…