What is Wet Plate?
Peter Cox is using a photographic method invented in 1851, many years before the invention of film. It's called "wet plate collodion".
It's a slow, but very rewarding process that is still practiced by a few photographers around the world who are in love with its unique beauty, and longevity.
Photographs made in 1851 with this method are still around today, and look just as good as they did the day they were made.
What are Tintypes?
"Tintype" describes a photograph made on a metal plate using the 'wet plate collodion' process. The plate is covered with a special coating that becomes sensitive to light when placed in a bath of silver nitrate.
Once sensitized, the plate is loaded into the camera and exposed. It must then be developed immediately, while still wet, in order to produce an image.
This means you get to see the entire process. It's a little like watching alchemy happen in front of you, and makes sitting for a portrait a real experience.
