25 Aug
DARKROOM BUILD, OTHER

History in the Making: The First Dry Plate Coating Machine in Nearly 100 Years

After months of development, numerous Zoom calls, and much anticipation, the Zebra Emulsion Coating Machine has finally found its home in our new darkroom. How many film or plate coating machines do you think have been built and installed in the last 50 years? Not many, I reckon, and that makes this occasion even more special. We have worked incredibly hard over the past five years building our business. From my team producing the equipment, to me pouring tens of thousands of plates, the journey really shows how much passion goes into everything we do. If we look at the history of...

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20 Aug
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, KICKSTARTER, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Zebra Lab Update: Tank Update, Golden Plates, Faster Emulsions?

The holidays are behind us, and while most people were winding down, things at the Zebra workshop were busier than ever. It’s the perfect moment to give you a big update on what we’ve been up to these past weeks. Daylight Processing Tanks – Redesigned and Ready First things first: WOW. We’re still blown away by the incredible support of more than 500 backers who joined us on the Zebra Daylight Processing Tank campaign. Your encouragement and feedback are what keep this project alive and evolving. We listened closely to your ideas, and many of them shaped the improvements we’ve been working...

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17 Jun
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Daylight Film Development for Large Format Photographers – 900% Funded on Kickstarter

Just two weeks into our Kickstarter campaign for the Zebra Daylight Processing Tank, we’re thrilled to share that we’ve surpassed 900% funding, with more than 400 backers supporting this project from around the world. This overwhelming response confirms what we’ve seen growing for years: the analog photography community is alive, thriving, and eager for tools that remove unnecessary barriers while keeping the hands-on, tactile process we all love. We're deeply grateful for every pledge, message, and word of encouragement. You're not just backing a product you're helping shape the future of analog photography. No Darkroom? No Problem. The idea behind the Zebra Daylight...

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11 Jun
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Maximising Your Darkroom Space: Darkroom Sink Installation, Ventilation and LED Safelights

It has been a whirlwind few weeks here at the Zebra workshop, packed with exciting developments and challenging projects. Between finalizing the new darkroom and launching our second Kickstarter campaign, it's been intense, rewarding, and truly inspiring. Kickstarter Success Exceeding Expectations First off, a heartfelt thanks to our incredible community. Our second Kickstarter campaign for the Zebra Daylight Processing Tanks has been a resounding success, reaching over 800% funding with nearly 400 photographers backing the project. This overwhelming support highlights the genuine need for versatile, user-friendly analog photography solutions. Our tanks offer modular processing options for various formats, including popular sizes like...

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14 May
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Building Professional Darkroom: Flooring, Painting, Ventilation, Lighting & Layout

It’s time for another update—and honestly, this one feels pretty special. After so many months of groundwork and invisible progress, the new Zebra darkroom is finally starting to look and feel real. I can walk through the space now and actually imagine working in it. It’s happening! Tiling, Sealing, and Treating It Like a Bathroom One of the biggest milestones lately was finishing the tile flooring throughout the darkroom. This was a key step for me, especially around the sink area, which will be used constantly. I decided early on to build this part of the darkroom like a bathroom—properly sealed and...

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17 Apr
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, PRINTING PROCESSES, Zebra Dry Plates

Turning Negatives into Golden Positives – How to Make Orotones with Zebra Dry Plates

Technique documented by Tom Lee (UK) It all starts with a good negative...One of the most beautiful ways to showcase a photograph on glass is through the creation of an orotone—a luminous, golden-toned positive image backed with metallic brilliance. And yes, you can absolutely achieve this magic with Zebra Dry Plates. This in-depth process has been documented and generously shared by Tom Lee, a fellow photographer and dry plate enthusiast based in the UK. What You need to Get Started Zebra Dry Plates (for both negatives and positives) HERE OHP transparency film (for inkjet negatives) Photo inkjet printer (capable of printing on transparencies) Enlarger or consistent UV light source (a...

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09 Apr
DARKROOM BUILD, OTHER

Building a Dream Darkroom: New Zebra “factory” is Finally Taking Shape!

The past few weeks have been intense here at Zebra HQ—and I’m finally excited to share some real, visible progress on our new darkroom build!We’ve officially moved beyond the invisible grind—the kind of hard work that doesn’t look like much when you walk by but is absolutely essential (you know the kind: digging, prepping, measuring, scratching your head over measurements again). Now we’re into the satisfying part: walls going up, spaces taking shape, and a glimpse of what the final darkroom will actually look like. Building a Darkroom Inside a 100-Year-Old Hayrack As many of you already know, we’re building this new...

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02 Apr
DARKROOM BUILD, OTHER

A New Era Begins: Introducing the Zebra Dry Plate Coating Machine

For the past six years, every Zebra Dry Plate you’ve held in your hands has been poured, coated, and crafted by my own two. This was never just about making photographic materials—it was about resurrecting a process. A history. A soul. I’ve often said that Dry Plate photography is more than technique—it’s a dialogue between light and time, chemistry and craft. And for those six years, I’ve done everything I could to keep that conversation alive by hand-coating thousands upon thousands of plates in our small workshop. Today, I’m proud—and honestly a little emotional—to announce something that will shape the next chapter...

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11 Mar
DARKROOM BUILD, OTHER

Building the Future: Progress on the New Zebra Darkroom

As many of you know, our journey in expanding Zebra Dry Plate has been an exciting one. From the humble beginnings of a shipping container darkroom to now building a dedicated workspace under a 200-year-old hayrack, every step has been fueled by passion, hard work, and the unwavering support of our incredible community. Progress Update Since our last update, we have made significant advancements in constructing the new Zebra Darkroom / Workshop space. This project is an exciting blend of old and new, as we are preserving the historical integrity of the hayrack while transforming it into a state-of-the-art facility for dry...

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24 Feb
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, Zebra Dry Plates

Coating Ultra-Large Plates: Expert Tips and Techniques

I often get asked if coating ultra-large plates—like the impressive 20x24 inch pieces—is much harder than coating smaller ones. The answer? It’s both yes and no. When you’re working on a plate of this size, every step of the process demands extra practice and precision. Spreading emulsion evenly across such a vast surface isn’t as simple as it sounds. For instance, using a syringe coating technique means you might need to stop and refill your emulsion cup three or four times while maintaining a perfectly level plate to avoid messy spills. On the flip side, the substantial weight of these plates...

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