The Rebirth of Tintype: An Old Photographic Medium Is Revitalized
The Rebirth of Tintype: An Old Photographic Medium Is Revitalized
Three artists talk about their work in a traditional process
By Theano Nikitas March 6, 2017
Eastern Sierra View (Ian Ruhter)
As a commercial photographer, Ian Ruhter never had time to photograph McGee Creek. But after he abandoned that work to make tintypes full time, he returned in 2013.
In a time when photos are produced quickly and then forgotten, and when almost everyone has a camera and gigabytes’ worth of images in their pockets, it’s no wonder that some of the most interesting photographers today are slowing down. Way down.
Tintype, a kind of wet-plate process whereby chemicals are applied to metal and then an image is exposed directly and developed on the spot, is experiencing a resurgence. The Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco, the Eastman Museum in Rochester, and the Penumbra Foundation in New York are only a few organizations across the U.S. where photographers are signing up to learn the methods of their forebears.
We asked three artists who have built careers on this decidedly old-fashioned medium what drew them to it and why artisanal photography couldn’t have come along at a better time.
To read the article, and see the example photos, click this link:
https://www.popphoto.com/rebirth-tintype-an-old-photographic-medium-is-revitalized
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