I am thoroughly fascinated with/by/in history.
So a few years ago my local community college offered a class in their catalogue that caught my eye: History of Photography; online course; 4 credits
The class was being taught that summer so of course I jumped on it. Sure it was an online class and an accelerated course , sure it wasn't a "required" class for my degree thing. But it was going to be about the HISTORY. OF. PHOTOGRAPHY.
How was I supposed to say no to that? All I had learned up until then was the HOW of taking photos like composition, DOF, exposure, shutter speed, camera make & models & the like. All very technical stuff which is necessary of course. But not only did i want to learn the how, but I wanted to know who shot what, when & where. I mean, don't you every wonder who made the first photograph & camera ever?
That summer was spent in solitude with my laptop taking quizzes, writing, reading & the like. The course was quite rigorous as expected but so very interesting. Turns out, the first photographers were curious chemists.
The class was told that the final was going to be on campus. I show up, it's about 9 in the morning, a sunny 75 degrees outside already. We take the exam, after which, the professor announces that she invited a local artist to make a special presentation. About a third of the class books it & leave. The rest of us were led outside to an open, grassy area where a huge box sat on a tripod. A chair was set up nearby. My heart leaped.
The huge box was actually a camera, sitting in all its bulky, wooden glory, complete with the black drape behind it to block out the haters.
Lisa Dodge is her name.
Not the camera's of course, but the magician, the chemist, the photographer who is able to freeze a moment of time & convert it into the tangible that can last almost forever.
She showed us the wet-plate process that was first used during the American Civil War era. This involved coating a tin sheet with a light-sensitive liquid & then exposing it using a big camera like the one chilling on the lawn. And do you know what she did?
She took my photo. MINE.
I was ecstatic, though you couldn't tell much by my expression. The exposure was for about 30 seconds even in the midday sunlight. You try holding a LEGIT smile for that long with the sun punching your eyes. Didn't want to risk it, so I chose the next best thing.
After taking a few other exposures (photos in their baby stage) she took us to the darkroom & showed us where the real magic happens. It took us time to adjust our eyes to the dark & red lights. The room smelt of chemicals. She explained the process, removing the tin sheets from light-proof cases & dipping them into different watery trays, some for a mere few seconds, others for full minutes.
A week or so later, my professor gives me the finished tintype you see above & below.
It was kind of funny showing the tintype to my aunts & grandma. They swore it was a great aunt from time past. I can't blame them, the way my hair was braided & the sweater I wore that morning, I looked the part.
This was one of my favorite memories in my career so far in photography. The tintype is one of the things I hold very dear. Perhaps when you come & visit I'll let you hold it.