12 May
AUTOCHROME, EMULSION, Zebra Dry Plates

First Reverse Processed Zebra Autochromes – A Small Step Closer to Magical Colour Photography

Posted by author-avatar
0
Over the last few weeks we have been quietly experimenting with something that has completely captivated us: reverse processed Autochrome plates. And finally… we have our first successful results. The images were taken during a recent trip through the Czech Republic, and seeing those tiny glowing colors appear for the very first time on glass has honestly been a magical experience. Even in these early stages, the plates already possess that unmistakable Autochrome atmosphere soft light, luminous color, and a depth that feels almost impossible to reproduce digitally. What makes them especially exciting is that these are not scans or digitally inverted negatives....
Continue reading
15 Apr
AUTOCHROME, Uncategorized

The First Complete Zebra Autochrome Plate!

Posted by author-avatar
0
Following our April Fools’ joke this time, it’s real! There is a moment in every long process where separate experiments stop being isolated steps and begin to connect into something complete. For us, this was that moment. For the first time, we have successfully produced a complete Autochrome plate, bringing together all the individual layers into a single working system capable of forming an image. A colour screen, a panchromatic emulsion, and light passing through both are no longer separate variables, but parts of a unified structure that finally behaves as intended. What makes this stage particularly significant is not only that it...
Continue reading
01 Apr
AUTOCHROME, Uncategorized

Rebuilding Autochrome: Years of Chasing Color on Glass

Posted by author-avatar
1
For more than a century, the Autochrome process has remained one of the most elegant and elusive achievements in the history of photography. Not because it was ever practical.But because, against all odds, it worked at all. A surface composed of millions of microscopic dyed starch grains, acting as a random yet functional mosaic of color filters.Above it, a panchromatic silver gelatin emulsion, forced to resolve an image not directly, but through this fragile, imperfect screen. Light does not simply record an image here.It negotiates with the material. What emerges is not just a photograph, but a convergence of structure, probability, and compromise, balanced...
Continue reading
09 Nov
AUTOCHROME, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Through the Mosaic Screen: Discovering the Magic of Early Colour Photography

Posted by author-avatar
13
My Love Affair with the Autochrome It all began with a plate shimmering in the light.The first time I placed an Autochrome on a lightbox, I felt as if I were staring through time itself, into a moment made of color and silver, air and dust. The way those tiny dyed grains of potato starch came alive under magnification, forming a tapestry of living color, was absolutely hypnotic. As a maker and experimenter in photographic chemistry, I could not resist going deeper. What were these colors made of? How did the Lumière brothers manage such brilliance with nothing more than starch, dye,...
Continue reading
19 Jun
AUTOCHROME, EQUIPMENT, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

A Journey into Slovenia’s Dry Plate Legacy & Filming a Dry Plate Documentary

Posted by author-avatar
0
This week, I had the unique opportunity to visit the Pelikan Glass Studio in Celje, Slovenia, a beautifully preserved photographic time capsule that offers a rare glimpse into the golden age of dry plate photography. Stepping into this historic space felt like traveling back more than a century, to a time when photography was not just a craft, but an art form practiced with precision, patience, and, most notably, glass. The Golden Age of Dry Plate Photography. The late 19th and early 20th centuries marked a turning point in photographic history. The invention of pre-coated glass dry plates revolutionized the field, replacing...
Continue reading
13 Aug
AUTOCHROME

The Rise and Fall of Autochrome: Pioneering Colour Photography

Posted by author-avatar
5
The Lumière brothers, born in France in 1862 and 1864, grew up playing and learning in their father's photography studio, where he not only took photos but also produced black-and-white blue sensitive photographic plates that where very similar to the ones we make these days with Zebra Dry Plates. By 1882, after a severe economic crisis, the family business was on the brink of collapse. However, the return of 20-year-old Auguste from military service marked a turning point. With his brother Louis, they developed new machines necessary for the automated production of photographic plates. They innovated a new black-and-white photographic...
Continue reading
17 Jul
AUTOCHROME

The Evolution of Color Photography: From Black and White to Vibrant Hues

Posted by author-avatar
6
Today, we take colours for granted. Capturing the vibrant hues of nature in photographs is so effortless in the digital age that we rarely ponder how it works and how it came to be. My interest in the history of colour photography was non-existent until I encountered an autochrome plate. Its beauty and mystery captivated me instantly. The colour screen, a mosaic of microscopic dyed grains of potato starch, creates a colour photograph. I couldn’t fathom how something that sounded so simple could work so brilliantly. When choosing a topic for my undergraduate thesis, the choice was clear. I decided to...
Continue reading
Sabbatier-effect-Step-by-Step-Tutorial
27 Oct
AUTOCHROME, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, OTHER

Sabattier Effect – Detailed Step by Step Tutorial

Posted by author-avatar
2
In this tutorial I would like to explain and talk about a very interesting darkroom phenomenon that I came across recently and it absolutely stunned me with its beauty. But let's start at the beginning... A few days ago while scrolling through Facebook I was shocked by a direct positive Zebra Dry Plate that was shared by one of my customers. I had to ask him how he did it and he responded that he had no intention of making a positive but it was all just an accident. He told me how he made the exposure and started to develop...
Continue reading
How to make Silver Gelatine emulsion
28 Apr
AUTOCHROME, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, OTHER

Basic Silver Gelatine Emulsion

Posted by author-avatar
0
Introduction There’s something deeply rewarding about making your own photographic materials by hand. In this tutorial, I’ll take you through the entire process of creating a basic silver gelatin emulsion completely from scratch. Whether you're a curious beginner or a seasoned alternative process enthusiast, this guide will walk you step by step through everything—from the tools and materials you need to the tips and tricks I’ve picked up over years of experimentation. Together, we’ll demystify the process and unlock a piece of photographic history that still has so much to offer. The silver gelatin emulsion process has a fascinating legacy. First developed...
Continue reading
17 Mar
AUTOCHROME, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, PRINTING PROCESSES, Uncategorized

Salt print – Detailed Step by Step Walkthrough

Posted by author-avatar
0
Introduction I love working with alternative printing processes because they require only a few ingredients and are perfect for those interested in learning the fundamental principles of recording light. One of the earliest alternative printing techniques for transforming negatives into positive prints was salt printing, a process pioneered in the mid-1830s by Henry Fox Talbot. Talbot’s method involved soaking plain writing paper in a weak solution of ordinary table salt, followed by a strong silver solution. This treatment rendered the paper light-sensitive, allowing it to darken upon exposure to sunlight. Once fixed with a hypo solution, the image became permanent. Salt...
Continue reading