Introduction to Tintypes with Luther Gerlach
An event every day that begins at 9:00 am, repeating until October 9, 2022
Introduction to Tintypes
Instructor Name: Luther Gerlach
Date(s): October 8, 2022 or October 9, 2022
Time(s): 9:00 – 4:30
Location: Five Points Art Center Landscape
Ages: 18+
Cost: $250
Class Cap: 5 participants per session
Workshop Description
An introduction to tintype photography for everyone! This Civil War-era process produces a direct positive black and white image on metal using pure elemental silver. It was the first widely available and affordable form of photography – producing a nearly instantaneous image; it was the Polaroid of its day. This is an opportunity to get your hands dirty and make beautiful images with one-on-one guidance from your teacher – an expert in alternative processes for the last 30 years. We will be producing 5×7” stereo portraits using a studio camera and lenses from my personal collection. Students will learn safety protocols, watch a live demonstration, mix chemistry, pour plates, and develop images to take home.
Luther will be leading two identical sessions of this workshop; one on Saturday, October 8th and a second on Sunday, October 9th. You may register for either one.
Required Materials
Wear clothes you don’t mind getting stained!
Instructor Bio
Luther Gerlach has been working in historical photographic processes for the past 40 years, highlighting the role of constraints in creative production and the hand-made, tactile connection between the artist and his work. Known for nude portraits and urban scenes of downtown LA in his early career, more recently Gerlach has pioneered the re-emergence of plein air wet plate collodion landscapes. His work distills detailed images of the natural world, particularly trees, seaweeds, and grasses, to emphasize pure light and line, endowing his images with a subtly abstract quality.
Gerlach apprenticed with Brett Weston in Carmel and Hawaii in the 1980’s, before learning the wet plate process which he still works in today. He led lectures and demonstrations at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles for nearly twenty years. He has exhibited at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Ventura Museum of Art, the Schaknow Museum of Fine Art, Miami, the Denver Art Museum, and The Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe. Selected permanent collections include the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The J. Paul Getty Museum, and the Michael G. Wilson Centre for Photography, among others.
The artist lives and works in historic Hampton, Connecticut where he offers workshops, master printing services, and darkroom rentals from his English style barn, Little River Studio.
Instructor Website