T
intype is one of the oldest photographic
processes. It was a favorite of portrait photog-
raphers in the 1870s through the 1890s
because a tintype photograph could be developed,
fixed and ready to be handed to the customer in a
matter of minutes. The technique produced images
with messy edges and a shallow depth of field due to
the format of film and lenses used at the time.
My ongoing series, Tintype Nostalgia, was born
from my attraction to old photographic processes. I
used to make images of landscapes and studio stills
using platinum printing and carbon transfer.
Nowadays I use the current technology — cameras
with sensors in lieu of film, and phones with built-in
Cenizo
cameras. My main concern is not technology or
equipment, it is to make images. So why not use
today’s tools to make images that bring back visual
“flavors” from the past? That is what I attempt to do
when I create images using the built-in camera of a
telephone, and software to trick light and electrons
into producing an image with 19th Century looks.
Second Quarter 2016
11