A. Basic Beginner Info.
B. Workshops in U.S. and Worldwide.
C. Other links and useful info.
D. Help in hunting down brass lenses.
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A. Basic Beginner Info.
If you are completely new; the process to produce tintypes and ambrotypes is called wet plate collodion photography. It's main time frame was from the late 1850's to roughly 1870. Things needed are: a camera, a darkbox, and the chemicals to develop, fix, and varnish each plate. Each plate is sensitized, exposed, developed, washed, and fixed before another image can be taken. These steps need to be done on location, so chemicals and darkbox will have to on site or in studio.
Just by googling "wet plate collodion" should get you enough web info to familiarize yourself with the basic steps.
If you are completely new; the process to produce tintypes and ambrotypes is called wet plate collodion photography. It's main time frame was from the late 1850's to roughly 1870. Things needed are: a camera, a darkbox, and the chemicals to develop, fix, and varnish each plate. Each plate is sensitized, exposed, developed, washed, and fixed before another image can be taken. These steps need to be done on location, so chemicals and darkbox will have to on site or in studio.
Just by googling "wet plate collodion" should get you enough web info to familiarize yourself with the basic steps.
B. Workshops
U.S.
CA
Corona, Will Dunniway; www.dunniway.com
Placerville, Kerik Kouklis; www.kerik.com
Los Angeles, Dave Collyer; www.tinmachina.com
CO
Denver, Quinn Jacobson; www.studioq.com
IN
Indianapolis, Dale Bernstein; email: dalebernstein@gmail.com
NY
Dundee, John Coffer; www.johncoffer.com
Rochester, Mark & France Osterman; www.collodion.org
Woodstock, Craig Barber; www.craigbarber.com
TX
Dallas, Frank Lopez; www.franklopez.com
Worldwide
Australia
Trentham E. Victoria, Ellie Young; www.goldstreetstudios.com.au
Belgium
Tubize & Brussels; Isabel Leeson; www.photo-42.com
China
Hong Kong, M.K. Ho; www.mkhowetplate.com
Germany
Berlin, David Puntel; www.centralvalleyproject.com
Michael Schaaf, also serving S & W England, www.collodion.de
Italy
Florence, Charles Loverme; www.firenze-artivisive.org
The Netherlands
Veldoven, Alex Timmermans; www.collodion-art.blogspot.com
Boerdonk (Veghel), Jeroen de Wijs; Jeroen@mudar.nl
U.S.
CA
Corona, Will Dunniway; www.dunniway.com
Placerville, Kerik Kouklis; www.kerik.com
Los Angeles, Dave Collyer; www.tinmachina.com
CO
Denver, Quinn Jacobson; www.studioq.com
IN
Indianapolis, Dale Bernstein; email: dalebernstein@gmail.com
NY
Dundee, John Coffer; www.johncoffer.com
Rochester, Mark & France Osterman; www.collodion.org
Woodstock, Craig Barber; www.craigbarber.com
TX
Dallas, Frank Lopez; www.franklopez.com
Worldwide
Australia
Trentham E. Victoria, Ellie Young; www.goldstreetstudios.com.au
Belgium
Tubize & Brussels; Isabel Leeson; www.photo-42.com
China
Hong Kong, M.K. Ho; www.mkhowetplate.com
Germany
Berlin, David Puntel; www.centralvalleyproject.com
Michael Schaaf, also serving S & W England, www.collodion.de
Italy
Florence, Charles Loverme; www.firenze-artivisive.org
The Netherlands
Veldoven, Alex Timmermans; www.collodion-art.blogspot.com
Boerdonk (Veghel), Jeroen de Wijs; Jeroen@mudar.nl
C. Other links.
Some links for those completely new to wet plate.
The "Doer's Guide" from John Coffer is a must. His workshops are amazing if you want hands-on learning.
www.johncoffer.com
For those on the west coast, look up Will Dunniway for workshops.
www.collodion-artist.com
World wide workshops are held by Mark & France Osterman
www.collodion.org
For Chemicals, Mike at Artcraft is simply the best!
www.artcraftchemicals.com
For a list of camera makers, please see home page.
D. Help in finding a brass lens.
Here are a couple guidelines to go by:
1. Most of the time; if it doesn't have a drive system to move the inner barrel, it is NOT a petzval (even if the listing says so). There are a few exceptions, but other than small tube lenses, you will not come across the exceptions hunting for a usable wet plate lens. One of the exceptions is BIG (25") lenses where they were too big to reach to the radial drive.
2. A 6" lens is usually a half plate lens, a 9"-10" lens is usually a full plate lens. 8x10s are going to be in the 13"-15" range. These numbers are at infinity, which is "distant." Portrait distances are not an advertized number and are usually a couple or few inches longer. The closer the subject is to the camera, the more the focal distance which is distance from front to back of camera.
3. If it has an adjustable iris, it was made AFTER the wet plate era and the civil war. There is one exception, however, it will most likely never be seen on ebay.
4. Rapid Rectilinear, Rapid Symmetrical, Aplant, and Aplanat are for the most part the same thing. Different companies called them different things.
5. If there are any missing elements, you are NOT gonna just find replacement elements laying around some antique shop.
6. Most replacement flanges will have to be made, as lens makers in the day all used different threading combinations than the other guy. There was no "standardization." You will be better off to have a machine shop make one than buy one of the 200 listed on ebay for $19 each.
7. If it has a funky cap that swings on a single pivot; it was a lantern lens. Now, it can be used on a camera, yet it was not made for such.
8. To figure out inches if listed in mm; then multiply the mm's by 0.039 So, a 250 mm lens is 9.75".
9. Petzval lenses were originally made for portraits only; they usually will not cover the plate size at infinity. RR's (landscape lenses) will usually cover slightly larger than their plate size.
10. Focal lengths could have been measured from the center of barrel, the flange, or the rear element. You will not know which, so account for the measurement difference.
11. And lastly, according to the ebay world, they are all apparently "Rare."
Of course, exceptions can be found to some of this, but for the most part, if hunting down a lens on ebay, go by these.
Here are a couple guidelines to go by:
1. Most of the time; if it doesn't have a drive system to move the inner barrel, it is NOT a petzval (even if the listing says so). There are a few exceptions, but other than small tube lenses, you will not come across the exceptions hunting for a usable wet plate lens. One of the exceptions is BIG (25") lenses where they were too big to reach to the radial drive.
2. A 6" lens is usually a half plate lens, a 9"-10" lens is usually a full plate lens. 8x10s are going to be in the 13"-15" range. These numbers are at infinity, which is "distant." Portrait distances are not an advertized number and are usually a couple or few inches longer. The closer the subject is to the camera, the more the focal distance which is distance from front to back of camera.
3. If it has an adjustable iris, it was made AFTER the wet plate era and the civil war. There is one exception, however, it will most likely never be seen on ebay.
4. Rapid Rectilinear, Rapid Symmetrical, Aplant, and Aplanat are for the most part the same thing. Different companies called them different things.
5. If there are any missing elements, you are NOT gonna just find replacement elements laying around some antique shop.
6. Most replacement flanges will have to be made, as lens makers in the day all used different threading combinations than the other guy. There was no "standardization." You will be better off to have a machine shop make one than buy one of the 200 listed on ebay for $19 each.
7. If it has a funky cap that swings on a single pivot; it was a lantern lens. Now, it can be used on a camera, yet it was not made for such.
8. To figure out inches if listed in mm; then multiply the mm's by 0.039 So, a 250 mm lens is 9.75".
9. Petzval lenses were originally made for portraits only; they usually will not cover the plate size at infinity. RR's (landscape lenses) will usually cover slightly larger than their plate size.
10. Focal lengths could have been measured from the center of barrel, the flange, or the rear element. You will not know which, so account for the measurement difference.
11. And lastly, according to the ebay world, they are all apparently "Rare."
Of course, exceptions can be found to some of this, but for the most part, if hunting down a lens on ebay, go by these.
