Tintypes:  A photographic process that dates back to the mid 19th century. It became widely popular in America during the Civil War. Due to the cheap cost of production Tintypes made photography available to all classes.

Tintypes involve a wet plate process which produces the image onto a metallic surface. The image is generally a negative one which appears to be positive due to the dark background colour.

The boundaries of contemporary Tintypes have expanded due to changes in photographic materials and digital technology.

The process for Kyoung Lee’s Tintype (above), the “Portrait of Joe Johnson and Galen Palmer” involves liquide photographic emulsions, inkjet film (Pictorico), as well as 3D generating software (Maya + Vue Infinite).

John Coffer’s Camp Tintype is a great place and way to learn the true traditional way of making Tintypes, as well as Glass Plate Negatives, Ambrotypes, and Albumen Photographic Prints. The weekend workshops are highly recommended, its a great experience that takes you almost all the way back into the mid 19th century.