Portraits on Glass, Made the Slow Way

I've photographed weddings, portraits, and boudoir around Spearfish and the Black Hills for years. Lately I keep coming back to the oldest tools I own. Dry plate portraits are made on glass with a large format view camera, the same basic process photographers used in the 1880s. They're slow, quiet, and every one is a little different. If you want a portrait that's an actual object you can hold, this might be for you.

What is dry plate?

A dry plate is a sheet of glass coated with a light-sensitive gelatin emulsion. The process dates back to the 1870s. It replaced the older wet plate collodion process, where a photographer had to coat, expose, and develop each plate in a few minutes while it was still wet. Dry plates could be prepared ahead of time, and that change helped make photography something everyday people could do.

A few things make dry plate different from what you might expect:

It's a glass negative. A tintype is a one-off positive image on metal. A dry plate is a negative on glass, so I can make prints from it.
There's only one. No file, no copies of the negative. The glass plate itself is the original.
Contact prints. The plate can be laid directly on paper to make a print exactly the size of the plate, with fine detail and no enlarging.
It's slow. My plates are roughly ISO 2–4. Most modern films start at ISO 100. That's why exposures take seconds, or as long as a minute in dim light, instead of a fraction of a second.
It sees light differently. My process is orthochromatic: it's sensitive to the blue end of the spectrum and doesn't react to red or some yellows at all. Blues render light, while reds and some yellows go very dark or black. Freckles and skin texture often show up more, and blue eyes can look pale and striking.

I make plates in three sizes: 4x5, 5x7, and 8x10 inches. I shoot 4x5 on one of my two Cambo view cameras, and 5x7 and 8x10 on an Intrepid 8x10 with a 5x7 reducing back. Since contact prints are the same size as the plate, the size you choose is also the size of your print.

What a session is like

Plan to slow down. At roughly ISO 2–4 (compared with ISO 100 and up for most modern film), exposures take a while. With flash or strong light, an exposure takes a few seconds. On a cloudy day or in a dark location, a single plate can take up to 60 seconds. Flash and high-powered constant lights shorten that a lot, and I bring two 2400-watt flash power packs to expose plates, so we'll take our time without making you hold still longer than necessary. I'll set up the camera, focus under the dark cloth, load a plate, and make each exposure deliberately. Most sessions produce a small number of plates, not hundreds of frames.

Staying still. Holding still is the main thing I'll ask of you. I'll pose you comfortably, often seated or leaning against something steady, and I'll count you through each exposure. A relaxed, natural expression is easier to hold than a big smile, and it tends to suit the look better anyway. You don't need any experience. I'll walk you through it.

What to wear.

Solid colors and simple textures. Busy patterns can distract on glass.
The plates are orthochromatic, so reds and some yellows go very dark or black and blues go light. Pick colors with that in mind. A red shirt will read as black, and a pale blue one will read close to white.
Wool, linen, denim, leather, and heirloom pieces all look wonderful.
Bring something that means something to you: a hat, a tool, a family keepsake, your dog.
Keep makeup light and natural.

Where and how long. You can choose either of two options:

On location: about 20–30 minutes, somewhere in Spearfish or the Black Hills that means something to you.
In the studio with darkroom viewing: about an hour, including watching your plates develop in the darkroom.

What you receive

You choose how you'd like your portraits: a glass plate finished as an ambrotype positive, positive prints on paper, or digital scans. Either way, they'll be ready within a week.

Also available: film portrait sessions

If you love the look of film but want something a little quicker, I also offer film portrait sessions. Contact me for a quote.

Contact me for a quote

Every dry plate session is a little different, so I quote each one individually. Tell me what you have in mind: a solo portrait, a couple, family, or something just for you.

Email: The50mm@hotmail.com
Or use my contact page: https://www.the50mm.org/contact-me