Tintype Workshop at Scully and Osterman Studio

Graduate Fellows had the opportunity to attend a tintype workshop at the Scully and Osterman Studio in Rochester, NY. During this workshop, I prepared my metal plate with a thin layer of collodion. The plate was then submerged in a silver nitrate solution to sensitize the plate to light. The plate was loaded into the camera and my image was taken at a 30-second exposure. After the image was taken, I developed, stopped, and fixed the plate in the darkroom. The final steps included washing the plate under water to remove the remaining chemicals and then was followed by the application of a varnish.

Self-portrait, 30-second exposure. Notice the blue streak to the left and the white streak pattern along the bottom edge. The blue spot is ferrous ferrocyanide, commonly known as Prussian blue, formed by a chemical reaction during processing. The white streaks are called “oyster stains” which can be removed during processing, but I kept them visible for reference.

Group tintype, 60-second exposure.