• 1-hr sessions: a more comprehensive session in which we shoot 5 tintypes and choose 3 final shots. Great for more creative portraiture, families or anyone wanting to work outside. Also a fun option for a larger group looking for many individual portraits. Available at my studio or an outdoor location. Travel within city of Richmond, professional scans and two redos are included in price. Choice between 5x7 or 8x10 tintypes. Email to book

• 2-person group/ Sweetheart Special: Limited to studio only and limited to 2 people. This session has more of a "formula"-- (2) individual 4x5 portraits and (1) group 5x7 portrait. Professional scans not included but can be added for surcharge. No young children or animals. Click here to book

• Open Studio: 15-minute mini sessions offered one weekend a month- (1) tintype. No reshoots, other than for blinks. Limited to groups of 3 people or smaller. Professional scan not included but can be added for a surcharge. Young children and animals not recommended. Click here to book.

Yes, you need an appointment. For hour sessions-- please email me to set up a 1-hr session. For Open Studio Days and the “Sweetheart Special”- You can book portraits through my online booking page here

• Available for full sessions only

• Yes! I love making portraits in unique spaces that hold personal significance— **limited to outdoor locations only**- your garden, a favorite stretch along the river, the park where you got married… Please read next questions about location availability.

• Available for outdoor portraits only-- indoor locations don't have enough light.

• I tend to stay in a 30 mile radius of Richmond, but am able to travel further, with advance notice. Seasonally available spring thru early fall.

• Travel + setup surcharge are charged for locations outside of Richmond and vary depending on distance.

• Travel session available for film and polaroid as well.

Yes! Since the process to make tintypes requires a darkroom and heavy equipment, I am limited to locations that are nearby an area where I can park my car which houses my mobile darkroom. A spot needs to have easy parking within a short walking distance of where we take the photographs. This means I cannot hike into a location. (If you are interested in hiking into a location- I offer large format film sessions and this can be a great options for a similar look with more flexibility.)

Some parks where I work often that have nice backdrops within steps from parking areas:

• Pumphouse Park (historic building, canal, wooded backdrop-- cannot hike in to river/train bridge)

• Dogwood Dell (lush woods, open field)

• Chimborazo Park (manicured trees and field)

• Libby Hill Park (open field, city skyline)

• Bryan Park (Woods, pond)

• Forest Hill Park (woods only, unable to go to pond as too far from parking)

• Pony Pasture (riverside )

• Reedy Creek

• A deposit of $50 is required to hold an appointment. This deposit is applied to your session cost or is refundable should you need to cancel and comply with the cancelation policy.

• My studio's cancelation policy requires 48 hours notice be given to receive a full refund of the deposit. In cases of no-shows or last minute cancelations (under 48 hours), the deposit is forfeited.

• Last minute reschedule requests (under 48 hours) are treated the same as last-minute cancelations since they result in the same loss of rebooking availability. In these caess, to reschedule, you will need to make a new deposit, which can be done via my booking site.

• To reschedule with more advance notice, simply email me and let me know what date/time you would like for the updated session.

• I offer same week local pickup or mail the tintypes within a week.

• Scans take up to two weeks.

• If you need your scans sooner, I am able to expedite their processing for a surcharge.

**2022 Update**- In 2022 gift card sales were phased out, so as of 12/31/22 all gift cards will be expired and redeemable for purchase amounts towards other sessions only.

All gift cards are valid for one year after the issue date on the card-- some cards have a written expiration date, earlier ones just list the issue date. If a gift card is expired, I will honor it for the purchase amount, it just may no longer correspond with the listed session as my rates and offerings change over the years.

It is assumed that the gift card purchaser has familiarized themselves with my studio policies and therefore consents to these policies through purchase.

To redeem a giftcard: you have two options-- you can book an appointment thru my booking page and present your gift card when you arrive. Booking online requires a deposit, which will be refunded to you directly after your session. Alternatively, you can email me to book-- for most efficient booking, please consult the calendar on my booking page and let me know what day/time/session you'd like to book.

• Similar to the Polaroid, each tintype is the product of one exposure and the resulting physical photograph is the only version that will exist. Each tintype is a unique object— that’s what makes them one-of-a-kind and so special.

• If you would like multiples of a shot (say a portrait of three friends, each wants a tintype), I will need to shoot the same scene multiple times. This will not produce identical tintypes, but is the closest I can achieve with this process.

• Additionally, I offer high-quality digital scans, which act as a copy of sorts, so you are able to make printed reproductions should this speak to you.

Sure can! Like any photographer, usage fees apply when the work is used for commercial or editorial purposes. The price will vary depending on how the image is used. Contact me anytime for a quote.

• For open studio sessions, there is limited time, so reshoots are limited to blinks or my mistakes only (such as a light misfire). People/animals moving during the exposure is not an error on my part and does not qualify for a reshoot. If you want more flexiblity, to try multiple poses, to have outfit changes etc-- please book a full session and select tintype as the medium.

• For full hour- sessions, we will always reshoot for blinks-- in addition there are 2 reshoots built into the package-- We make 5 tintypes together, but you will choose your 3 favorites. This is to encourage more play, experimentation and make the stakes lower. :) If you love all 5, you have the option to purchase the outtake plates for an additional fee.

• For the sweetheart/group session we will always reshoots for blinks. Beyond that there are no re-shoots built into the cost of the session. If you’d like to reshoot for expression/pose, that can be easily accommodated but you will be charged a materials fee of $40 for each plate beyond the 3 included in the package.

• In the studio, up to 3 people can fit on any size plate. Larger groups are possible, they just need a little more coordinating and patience. Please email me to confirm that what you have in mind is possible before booking as what I am able to accommodate varies by group size/location etc...

• Due to the quick-paced nature of Open Studio days, groups are limited to 3 people or less.

• I use historic lenses with a very shallow depth of field, so the more people in the image, the harder it is to make sure everyone will be in sharp focus. This sometimes requires the sitter to sit still for a longer period since focusing takes longer, which can be a struggle for children and pets.

• In both indoor and outdoor portraits, the sitter has to sit still for anywhere between 20-60 seconds after they are posed, while the shot is focused and framed. For this part, you don't have to stand statue-still, you can blink and chitchat, but you have to stay in place in order to be in focus.

• For indoor portraits, for the actual exposure you have to sit still 1-3 seconds, followed by a high-powered strobe pop. The strobes are able to "freeze" movement, which results in stunning sharp detail. Minor movements register less

• For outdoor portraits, the exposure time (how long you sit still) depends on the lighting- it is typically 1-5 seconds. In this setting, without strobes to "freeze" movement, the sitter has to sit statue-still for a sharp image. Any movement is registered as blur- the more movement, the blurier the image. I don't reccomend this option for children or animals.

It depends on the child. The tintype process requires a lot of communication, patience and stillness. Unlike digital photography, the sitter must be posed, and remain in that pose for an extended period of time for a sucessfull image. If a child can sit still or be held, as well as follow instructions, we are usually able to get a great portrait. If a child is wiggly, it is a struggle. I also offer film and polaroid sessions which can be nice for families and children. Some things to consider:

• The portrait subject must sit still for 10-60 seconds while the picture is properly framed, focused and exposed.

• I recoomend indoor portraits for children over outdoor portraits due to the ability to use strobes to "freeze" movement. Refer to previous question for a more detailed explanation.

• In this process, focusing is the trickest part due to the historic cameras and lenses. If a young child (or pet) is able to be held, that takes care of most of the work of making sure they stay in place and in sharp focous. *If I am unable to get a satisfactory capture of your child due to their lack of cooperation and you elect to not re-shoot, full payment is still expected to cover cost of materials and time.

Read above information about wiggly children, as the same principals of movement/this process are relevant for animals.

Yes, you’re welcome to bring in a pet for a portrait but pre-approval is required for all sessions- this includes Open Studio days. Not all furry friends are a good fit for the analog processes I use, so I request folks reach out to me in advance to discuss options. There are three studio dogs that are normally with me as well, so I need advance notice when brining animals to my studio so that I know to accommodate the space/ ensure that mine are left at home.

Disclaimer about pets: I strive to always produce exceptional portraits and have found furry friends to be somewhat inconsistent- I only recommend tintype/large format film for pets if your animal is very well trained and you are alright with the possibility of the pet not looking at the camera in the photo or even being blurry if they move. I have found smaller pets are easier since they can be held in place, but even then, if they are wiggling, they run the risk of being out of focus/blurry/knocking the person out of focus. Solo portraits of pets (without a human companion) are much more difficult, I have only had success with dogs that can hold a sit. I am unable to offer reshoots for free if a pet does not cooperate. I recommend looking at my other portrait options, like film or polaroid as these are more pet-friendly analog portrait offerings I have. If you think your pet has mastered the art of sitting still, please shoot me an email to begin the booking process.

Anything you want! Feel free to fancy yourself up or dress as casual as you'd like. While I use historic processes, most folks elect to wear modern attire. Below is way more information than you'll likely need, but in case you're curious of tips, how certain colors show up etc- read below.

• This tip is for studio only—disregard if we are working outdoors- I recommend not wearing solid white or solid lighter blue since my backdrop is white and white/blue clothing will blend in/disappear.

• Due to the historic camera used, all images are flipped horizontally. As a result, things like text on clothing will read backwards (I think this is a cool marker of the process but some folks prefer to avoid it).

• Patterns, textures and accessories always look great!

• If you are hoping for a closer crop portrait, I recommend focusing on the neckline and accessories.

• This process is orthochromatic and translates colors in a very specific way (click for example)— blue tones are lighter, while reds tones are darker. Avoiding solid white/light blue is helpful.

If deciding between glasses or no glasses, some things to consider:

• I use strobe lighting and sometimes there is a reflection from the light on the lens. I try my best to avoid a reflection, but when lighting more than one subject, it can be difficult to light everyone well and avoid a reflection. The more people in the portrait, the less able I am to avoid a reflection since the light has to cover a wider area. If I have to choose between lighting you well or avoiding a reflection, I will opt to light you all well.

• My studio is a storefront with big windows, so there is lots of natural light that can reflect as well. If you glasses are not anti-glare, I don’t recommend wearing them in your portrait.

• The chemical process used to make tintypes reacts to blue light (aka it needs blue light)- this means that glasses with blue light blocker coating on them will block the light this process needs-- this results in your glasses appearing tinted or dark. If you have a pair without this coating, I recommend wearing those or bringing them to swap out.

• Dirty, scratched glasses can diminish clarity of eyes in an image. Because the sharp focus of my portraits is the eyes, I find that smudges/scratches can be more visible in the tintype than to the naked eye due to the concentrated focus.