Brass and Glass Photographic Alchemy

Join Brian Scadden, his partner Jane Fletcher and their replica travelling Victorian darkroom for some photographic fun!

Using a process invented in the 1850s, Brian will use a bellows camera to create your very own handmade tintype photograph using the wet-plate collodion process, processed under a red light in the darkroom cart, then washed, dried and varnished and yours to take home a short while later.

The metal plate positive image is made with silver and light as in Victorian times. With care, these will last for decades without fading or changing colour, even if left in the sun.

As this process is very labour and time intensive, session times are very limited and may be pre-booked with one session per 15-minute interval available. If you are lucky enough to secure a session time with Brian, please make sure that arrive with plenty of time to locate the outdoor studio at Ara. For those without a booked session you may still get lucky…should Brian be running on schedule, any additional sitting that can be squeezed in will be available for $60 cash on the day.

Subjects have to sit very still as exposure times are often in the range of 5-8 secs, but Brian will have a headbrace available!

After the sessions have finished Brian will give a quick presentation about the process in an Ara teaching space at approximately 7pm before all are welcome to continue the conversation over a meal and drink across the road at Winnie Bagoes from around 8pm.

Don’t miss your chance to pose for a tintype photograph – there are only a handful of artists working with this technique in the world! We are very excited that Brian and Jane from Brass and Glass Photographic Alchemy are coming to Christchurch on Monday 20th November.