This short video documents Sheri & Erik of tangerinetreephotography.com as they sit for a tintype.  They are seriously in love and serious in their tintypes!  Thanks to Sheri & Erik for shooting the process. 

I found the image on the left in a dusty bin at an antique shop somewhere along the small strip of Pacific coast that makes up town of Gualala.  Mila, the little girl on the right, had been a photo student of mine in a kid's holga class.  I thought of her the second I saw the old photo, and new I had to recreate the image.  I shot a few rolls of medium format film with the hasselblad and this was one of my favorite shots from the sitting. 

Old cameras seem to strike a sentimental chord with most people.  You see an old camera and are reminded of your grandfather, or aunt who had that same kind of camera.  A camera can be an artifact that transports your mind's memory back in time, to that moment when grandpa shot those polaroids of you and your cousins on the lawn, man it was a hot day all of us in matching shorts and t-shirts.  The aunts grilling brats on the bbq and mosquitoes nipping at every bit of exposed skin.  "I bet my mom has that camera somewhere, she has a polaroid just like that in a frame on her dresser".  I hear stories like that all the time from people who get in front of the lens of one of my antique cameras.  Imagine creating a polaroid photo experience for yourself and your guests at your wedding!  People have so much fun in the 4"x5" polaroid booth!  It is a unique way to create instant memories that you and your guests go home with to pop on a dresser, or seal in a frame.  Making lasting memories the old fashioned way, for photographs you can hold. 

Proof sheet and 11 x 14 photograph from a recent sitting.  Medium format film shot with my hasselblad. 

Headshots are a lot of fun!  I love to use lots of props to highlight the serious or silly side of a personality.  This is a self portrait I shot last week at the tail end of a battle with bronchitis.  The doctor gave me three things on my visit to his office.  A shot in the arm (ouch!), a prescription for antibiotics (thankfully!), and this red lollipop.  See, it doesn't take make-up or photoshop to make your subjects look their best, just some great lighting and a funny story!  Here is to staying healthy for the rest of the year!

This finished piece measures 12" x 36" and features tintypes made in the studio. The family wanted something permanent to hang in there home for years to come.  To celebrate their 10th anniversary we made tintypes of the happy couple, their son Jack, and the whole family.  The tintypes were mounted to a custom crafted steel frame that was treated to a special patina.  These pieces can be made to hang on the wall or displayed on a special steel easel. 

A new way to wear the classic pearl necklace!  I took my grandmother's favorite pearls and created a series of four tintype pendants.  They are one of a kind keepsakes!  Gift one for yourself, or give one as a present.  They are for sale on the photo pendant page of the website.  Mailed to you or your loved one in a cute little package, just in time for that special someone to get a special squeeze from you!

I love the original tintype cases.  Often made of pressed paper, these tiny pieces were often the only photograph that a husband would have of his wife while he traveled off across the country.  He would carry it with him in a pocket by day and place on a desk or nightstand in the evening.  Before the days of skype and ichat, or even the telephone, these were the only reminders of a loved one.  I have taken an old case that I found in an antique shop in Ohio and given it a clean up.  The case was restored and repainted with a coat of black paint, then varnished for extra durability.  I had to replace the original velvet liner, as it was missing from the case.  The brass matting had to be polished and straightened out in places and new glass had to be cut to fit the case.  Once all the restoration was complete on the case, I was able to take some contemporary tintypes that were created in my studio and finish the piece.  Ready to slip into the pocket or onto the desktop of a very lucky love.  Stop by the shop to see more of these recreations or to create one for yourself!

Oh candy hearts!  I love your chalky sweet taste, won't you be mine?

I made this locket for my step mother.  This is her mother around age 5.  The original was a small paper photograph circa 1927.  I took the original and made a miniature tintype of my grandmother's face.  Now my step mother can carry a small image of her mother close to her heart and where ever she goes!