Name: Tintype Studio Session
Brand: Old Time Tintype
Price: 145.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Tintype Studio Session

$145.00

Tintype Studio Session

$145.00

This 30-minute tintype portrait session offers the opportunity to sit for a one-of-a-kind photograph made by hand using the historic wet plate collodion process and antique camera and lens. Each portrait is created on a metal plate in real time, producing an image with remarkable depth, texture, and presence—no two are ever the same.

You will get to experience the making of the image, and watch your tintype come to life right before your eyes!

Your session includes time to settle in and make a single, carefully crafted tintype. Subtle variations, imperfections, and marks of the process are embraced as part of the finished piece, reflecting the physical nature of this nineteenth-century process.

The final result is a 6.5" × 8.5" whole-plate tintype, along with a high-resolution digital file. Although you’ll view the image during your session, the plate needs about a week to complete its finishing process. After exposure, it is carefully washed, dried, scanned, varnished, and left to cure for several days before pickup.

Tintypes are archival, heirloom photographs made to be cherished, framed, and passed down. These portraits are especially suited for individuals, couples, artists, and anyone drawn to material authenticity and timeless image-making. Please note: due to the limitations of the process, large groups must be photographed outdoors with natural sunlight.

Frequently asked questions

An in-studio tintype portrait session lasts 30 minutes and yields 1 tintype. Please allow more time for additional tintypes. If you would like a portrait session at your home or other outdoor location, please plan for 2 hours for set-up, photographs, and pack-up.

Colors translate differently with the wet plate photographic process. In general, blues turn white in tintype photographs, and reds and darker colors turn black. Plaid shirts often appear uniform in color. Black/white patterns translate well to the wet plate process, as do unique fabric textures. We recommend light colors, as they reflect light and show up better in tintype photographs. Wear something you're comfortable being photographed in, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out.

While you’ll get to watch your tintype photograph come to life during your session and see the finished image, you won’t be able to take it home that same day. Each tintype is hand-processed in a darkroom using traditional photographic chemistry and must be carefully rinsed, dried, and varnished to ensure it is archival. Your completed tintype will be ready for pickup about a week after your session. If you’re not local, we’ll mail it to you around the same time.

Tintype photographs can be made in a range of sizes. The size we offer in our studio is a "whole plate" size, which is 6.5" x 8.5".

A tintype is a one-of-a-kind photograph made using the 19th-century wet plate collodion process. Each image is created by hand on a sheet of metal coated with light-sensitive chemistry, exposed in the camera, and developed immediately while the plate is still wet.

The result is a direct-positive photograph—not a print or copy—so every tintype is unique. With their silvery highlights and deep shadows, tintypes capture a depth and presence that is haunting and reminiscent of the past.

Yes! Well behaved pets are welcome in the studio, as long as they are comfortable being photographed with a bright flash. Please send us an email mentioning you plan to bring your pet.

Children and babies are welcome in the studio! Please ensure children have been well-fed beforehand, as sitting for a tintype requires patience and holding still. We have snacks available for hungry kiddos.

While your photograph will be captured in less than a second with a bright flash, you will need to hold still to allow time to focus the camera. Focusing takes 15-20 seconds, however, if you are part of a group, we may need to adjust positioning and refocus a few times before we take the photograph.