Kiwi North: Wet Plate Portrait Sessions

EXPERIENCE HOW PORTRAITS WERE MADE DURING THE VICTORIA ERA

For those of you interested in vintage photographic techniques, Adrian Cook will be holding wet plate portrait sessions at Kiwi North on select days during the Whangarei Silver Festival.

Using equipment and techniques developed during the 1850’s, plates of glass or aluminium are individually coated and sensitised in his mobile darkroom before being exposed and developed while wet. Once fixed, washed and dried they are then coated in a gum sandarac varnish that preserves and protects them for generations.

Participating in a tintype session and seeing the alchemic process as images appear on the plate is captivating; an experience that few people now have the opportunity to witness. At the end of the session, you will leave with a unique and original hand-made portrait and a complimentary digital file of your image.

The finished plates will be posted to clients once varnished & cured, a week or so after their session.

Sessions last 45 minutes and are limited to 2 people per plate