I realized recently that I spend a lot of time talking about the process behind wet plate photography, but not always enough time just showing the actual work.
So here’s a little bit of that.
These are a few recent tintypes and ambrotypes I’ve made over the past several months. Some were made during quiet moments at home. Others came from trips, experiments, and days where I was mostly just trying to see what would happen.
That’s honestly one of my favorite parts of wet plate photography. Even after all the prep, chemistry, timing, silver, varnish, and troubleshooting, there’s still a little mystery left in it. Every plate has its own personality. Tiny imperfections, streaks, edge marks, uneven pours, or strange lighting shifts end up becoming part of the image instead of something to erase.
Modern photography is usually about precision. Wet plate feels more like collaboration.
Some of these images are tintypes made on blackened metal. Others are ambrotypes made on glass. They each have a different feel in person. Tintypes tend to feel rugged and grounded. Ambrotypes have this softer, almost floating quality when the light hits them right.
A few of these were made around old barns, antique equipment, and historical settings. Others push in a direction I’ve become more interested in lately, blending historical techniques with subjects that feel more modern or unexpected.
That balance is something I think about a lot.
I love the history behind wet plate photography, but I’m also interested in figuring out what this process looks like today. Not as a museum piece, but as a living medium that can still evolve and say something new.
There’s also something I really enjoy about the physical nature of these plates. In a world where most photos live on phones for a few seconds before disappearing into the algorithm, these objects feel permanent.
You can hold them. Turn them in the light. See the chemistry. See the flaws. See the hand of the person who made them.
No two are exactly alike.
Honestly, that’s probably the entire reason I fell in love with wet plate photography in the first place.
If you’ve been following along with this project, I appreciate it. I’ve got a lot more experiments planned this year, especially involving reclaimed metal, automotive subjects, roadside Americana, and larger format work.
