Tintype (Wet Plate Collodion) Workshop

The tintype process (also known as ferrotype) was invented in 1853 and was one of the main photographic methods for almost 30 years. To make an image, a plate of tin is coated with a unique emulsion and exposed in a large format camera while still wet. It takes about 10 minutes to prepare, expose and develop each image – a sort of 19th century polaroid if you like.

In this workshop a brief history of the process will be explored, after which you will learn how to coat, expose, and develop your own plates.

Class Schedule

11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

What you will learn

  • Learn how to use a beautiful large format view camera.
  • Explore the alleyways and hidden spaces of industrial Kensington.

What you will get

  • One-on-one guidance from a professional photographer.
  • Access to a warm and inspiring learning environment. We believe everybody is capable of creating beautiful photographs, we will help you achieve this.
  • Walk away with your own tintype image.
  • Post workshop a comprehensive PDF document will be sent to participants outlining what we covered on the day and how they can continue to practice techniques at home.
  • Tea, coffee and snacks provided on arrival and throughout the day.
  • A complimentary gift from your favourite darkroom.

What to wear

  • Old comfortable clothes.
  • An old apron or lab coat if you have one.
  • Protective shoes.

Suitable for everyone from beginners to seasoned artists who want to broaden their skills.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

November

Sydney: The exhibition delves into the State Library of NSW's vast collection of two million images, showcasing 400 photos – many displayed for the first time.

February

Melbourne: Jill Orr’s The Promised Land Refigured is an exhibition that reworks the original project created in 2012 with new insights that have emerged in the past eleven years.

March

Melbourne: Environmental Futures features five artists whose work addresses how the natural world is affected by climate change and encompasses photography, sculpture and installation both within the gallery spaces and around the museum grounds.

Ballarat: Nan Goldin is an American artist whose work explores subcultures, moments of intimacy, the impacts of the HIV/AIDS and opioid epidemics on her communities, and photography as a tool for social activism.

Sydney: The Ocean Photographer of the Year Award, run by London based Oceanographic Magazine is in its 4th year and has quickly achieved recognition amongst photographers around the world.

Albury: The National Photography Prize offers a $30,000 acquisitive prize, the $5000 John and Margaret Baker Fellowship for an emerging practitioner, and further supports a number of artists through focused acquisitions.

April

Sydney: Photographers Harold David, Lyndal Irons, Ladstreet, Selina Ou, David Porter, Greg Semu, and Craig Walsh exhibit a diverse and varied snapshot of Penrith and western Sydney as it has changed and grown over the last sixty years.

The City Surveyor’s ‘Condemnation and Demolition Books’ is a key photographic collection held in the City Archives comprising almost 5000 photographs and associated glass plate negatives.

Sydney: The images in Bill Henson’s cinematic new body of work, The Liquid Night, derive from work the highly acclaimed artist shot on 35mm colour negative film in New York City in 1989.

May

Ballarat: Art Gallery of Ballarat presents Lost in Palm Springs, a multidisciplinary exhibition that brings together fourteen creative minds who respond to, capture, or re-imagine the magical qualities of the landscape and the celebrated mid-century modern architecture of Palm Springs, California and across Australia.