Summer 2023 Dog Days: Margaret Muza Pops Up at the Lynden Sculpture Garden to Make Tintypes
Saturday, May 20, 2023 – 10:30 am-3 pm
Saturday, June 24, 2023 – 10:30 am-3:30 pm
Fee: $150 per sitting. Each 30 minute session includes a tintype that the photographer takes and develops on site, as well as a scan.
Registration: https://www.margaretmuza.com/popups-1
This summer, thanks to the generosity of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Joseph R. Pabst Fund, we are once again offering special programming during our monthly dog days. For a complete list of Summer Dog Day events, click here.
Photographer Margaret Muza is known for her evocative tintype portraits. A tintype is a direct positive image, exposed through a wet chemical process directly onto a thin piece of metal. It is one of the earliest photographic methods, dating back to the 1850s. The large format camera and antique lens provides a romantic effect, while the characteristics of the chemical process add artifacts and uniqueness. The finished product is a tangible metal plate with the image composed of the contrast between the black metal and the highlights made of pure metallic silver.
The process is unique in many ways, but the greatest one is that it must be developed immediately after it is taken. This provides instant gratification: you get to see the tintype right away because it only takes a minute to develop it. The plate then must be properly washed and varnished in order to protect it. This object can easily be considered an heirloom, as it lasts a very long time. Nineteenth-century tintypes look beautiful to this day.
An 8 x 10-inch tintype can fit up to 8 people/animals. This activity is suitable for dogs and humans that can sit very still for up to 6 seconds, depending on the light. If anything moves, it will show up blurry, so please book only if that possibility doesn’t bother you. Or consider alternatives: sitting with one of your dog’s toys or favored objects, or even with a photograph of your dog.
About Margaret Muza
Photographer Margaret Muza has been working in wetplate since 2016. She hosts sessions at her studio in South Milwaukee, as well as traveling around the Milwaukee area doing porch sessions and pop ups.
www.margaretmuza.com