Oliver's Commercial Photography Blog: September 2017

Tintype

Tintype also known as ferrotypes came about in 1854 where a black plate of iron was covered in a wet collodion emulsion. Collodion is a cellulose nitrate solution, which is mixed with soluble iodide. In the darkroom the plate is immersed in a silver nitrate solution to form silver iodide and then the plate is exposed in the camera. When using the collodion process one must be immediately develop because the collodion film dries waterproof and the developing solution can’t penetrate to develop. The tintype photograph when developed made the shadows in the image black due to the black plate behind. When developing and the darkest shadows turn black it is time to use water to stop the development because if you let it develop longer it will be underexposed and if you don’t wait long enough it will be over exposed. In tintype photography there is no aperture and the shutter speed of the shot is how long the lens cap is taken off which is typically several seconds. If the lens is exposed again there will be a double exposure. When transporting the light sensitive plate you muse use a plate holder that is light tight because if not the plate will be useless and completely exposed.

The average tintype was about 2.5 x 3.5”. It was a cheaper and more accessible camera than the previous popular camera, the Daguerreotype. An effect of it being a cheaper camera made it more fragile, which caused scratching to often occur when handled carelessly. A way to prevent scratching is to apply a varnish on the image and as a added benefit, the varnish creates a more flattering contrast and glossy look. A plus to the camera though was its ability to capture a large amount of detail due to its black backing. With its invention the camera sparked a boom in the portrait studio business because the cost of taking a portrait was affordable to the average family. Another feature of the tintype that made it so successful was the multiple exposure possibilities where up to a dozen exposures could be taken on a single plate where people can share copies of their portrait.

I like the detail and the subject matter, what a beautiful portrait.

I am a Nick Cave fan so that is why I was initially drawn to this image. After looking at it more artistically, I love the placement of Nick and how contrasted his face is to the background.

I love this photo because it is a beautiful example of how a tintype can be double exposed to create a more interesting image.

This tintype has a great focus on the glasses and a lovely out of focus glow around the models face.

I like this tintype because of its historic narrative and interesting subject matter.

This is the first tintype from a drone. That's pretty cool.

I picked this because it is a more abstract double exposure on a tintype.

I love this tintype because there are not many tintypes in existence of landscapes.

This is just a very unique double exposure with a beautiful subject.

This is another example of history and how photography is used to document it even if it is the humor of a civil war soldier standing still for several second with his gun pointed at his friends head. Haha

Ryan McGinley in New York

http://ryanmcginley.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like that the space isn't busy, he has left loads of negative space to provide emphasis on his images. The Tabs are vertical and off to the side in a san serif font which again adds to the simplicity of the space. The overall site is reminiscent of a museum installation where the Image is front and center with any text as a secondary object in the off to the side.

The down side of having text off in the corner is that you have to counter balance it by giving it space which pushes the image just a wee bit off center which for me is a bit annoying. As well as that there is no about tab and the organization is more of a random scattering than assertive placement.

There are 11 tabs and there are too many photos to count in his portfolio.

Ransom Ashley in Unknown

http://www.ransomashley.com/about (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Like McGinley's, Ashley's site is presented in the installation-esk composition but thankfully the images are centered which gives more of a completeness to the site. The organization is obvious and the site is user friendly.

Sadly, I think the font of Ashley's logo clashes with the style of photo he takes as well as the font of the tabs. The font of the tabs is almost too small which is for me a headache because I feel like I am squinting just to read them. As for the positioning of the photos, I know I said he had symmetry but when you are viewing a photo that was shot in portrait it makes it drastically weird because it is very close to the vertical tabs on the left side ultimately leaving half the page blank.

There are 6 tabs and there are 127 photos in his portfolio.

Stewart Shining in New York

https://stewartshining.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I am in love with this website because you meet a bold smack of color in the home page, the block set up works well with the font and boldness of the photographer's overall theme, and lastly the portfolio displayed is kind of badass.

The intermittence of black and white with colored is a bit distracting but I don't know I that can be helped. The extent of some of his albums are not significant enough to have a whole album dedicated to them. Finally, the imperfect spaces that are created with his block system of display leave something to be desired.

There are 5 tabs and A bit over 150 photos in his portfolio.

Sam Heydt in New York

http://www.samheydt.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

There is something special about Sam's website and I think it lies in her mixed media approach. It starts with an almost brain washy sequence of film and images that will, scarily, look familiar to you. Her website structure is a mix between modern minimalism with sexy boldness that comes off as just right to show off her hybrid creations. And to follow that streak of intriguing beauty the text found in the website other than the tabs and the logo is reminiscent of newspaper clippings.

On the more negative side the site loads awkwardly to where most of the image displayed are hidden when first landing on the page which may just be my monitor specifications. The spacing of all the elements on the site are distressing because nothing aligns and nothing is center. The contact font at the bottom is a clashing font with the one of the tabs and the logo.

There are seven tabs and there are a lot of photos in the portfolio.

Luke Fontana in Los Angeles

http://www.lukefontanaphoto.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like that the website front page is displaying his portfolio right off the bat. I like that when you hover over an image it displays the name of the model. I like that the logo of the photographer is the largest object and that it catches all attention first.

I don’t like the busyness of the top right corner where all the info is with nothing on the other side, too a-symmetrical. I don’t like how there isn't much negative space to let images speak.

There are 4 tabs and there are 50 photos in his portfolio

Tyler Shields based in Los Angeles

http://www.tylershields.com/about/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like that there is congruency with fonts allowing Tyler's logo which is his signature to shine through. I like that the website isn't full page which provides mandatory negative space without making it obvious. I like how there is a blog portion of the website.

I don’t like the scrunched format of all the text at the top of site with the logo and tabs then the title of the current image and then the number of images and the name of the series. I don't like how light some of the text is on the site because it is barely legible. I don’t like how the loading speed is less than optimal.

There are 7 tabs and 30 photos in portfolio

Petra Collins based in unknown

http://www.petracollins.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like that the site has equal margins all around giving the overall thing a frame. I like the tri-display on the home page with the menu vertical off to the right and I like how there is no scrolling to avoid any cutting off portions of images when loaded.

I don’t like that the sliding feature isn't obvious, not the most user friendly. I don't like the font but it works with the overall theme. I don't like that there is or about page, I'm curious.

There are 7 tabs and 4 photos in the base portfolio.

Richard Kern based in New York City

http://www.richardkern.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like the cascading effect of logo to menu to image, very Zen. I like the equal margins on either side of the site and I like how everything is symmetrical and centered.

I don’t like the editorials on the home page, they are kinda out of place. I don’t like the organization of portraits on portrait page, the thumbnails give me headache. I don’t like that the home page is on the menu and it is the name of the photographer.

There are 6 tabs and there are 24 portraits in portfolio.

Igor Pjorrt based in london

http://www.igorpjorrt.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like the movement of the photos placement in the portfolio. I like how the choice in scrolling is different depending on the page you find yourself. I like how there is a new tab on the site. I don't like that the vertical menu has to be scrolled as well as the overall site. I don’t like that the menu over laps the images when you scroll through, the black type is hard to read and distracting. I don’t like that the descriptions of photo series are in the series itself.

There are 8 tabs and around 20 photos in the portfolio

David Uzochukwu based in Berlin

http://www.daviduzochukwu.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like that he organizes his website into hired and personal work. I like that the photos on the home page are like a slide show scrolling to the left and right with no margin so as you scroll the images move off the screen. I like that the amount of text is kept to a minimum. I dislike that the logo is just a bit off center with the tabs. I don’t like that there is a vertical scroll because there is no purpose for it. I don’t line that the description of the photos are blanks in the photo role.

There are 4 tabs and 57 photos in portfolio.

Mikael Aldo based in unknown

http://www.mikaelaldo.com/#1 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I like the use of negative space, great emphasis on photos. I like that there is a recent work tab and I like that he has a portrait of himself on the about page. I don’t like the vertical menu scroll. I don't like the awkward size of his logo. I don't like the off centeredness that plagues everything.

There are 6 tabs and 30 pics in portfolio.

Olivia Bee based in Brooklyn

http://oliviabee.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I love that the logo stands out and isn't a hassle to look at. I like that there is loads of negative space. I like that she has a tab for just about everything you could want. I don’t like that the home page is a not particularly nice image of her book. I don't like the proximity of all the text on the site, a bit cramped. I don’t like the placement of objects like the text in her about, it just doesn't feel right.

There are 11 tabs and unknown number of pics in portfolio.

Brendon Burton based in Portland

http://brendonburton.com/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I love the opening fullpage slide show. I like the change in font color depending on the photo shown. I like the font choice, bold like photos. I don’t like that the logo positioning is a bit off but other than that I think it a pretty solid site.

There are 5 tabs and 4 photos for portfolio