02 Nov
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, Zebra Dry Plates

 A New and Probably the Cheapest Way to Make Silver Gelatin Emulsion: Elio’s Story and Full Step-by-Step Tutorial

Every once in a while, a story finds its way into my inbox and quietly reminds me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. It happened again when a young photographer named Elio reached out to share an idea he had been working on. He had discovered a way to make silver halides using only materials found at home. There was no silver nitrate involved, no specialized equipment, only the wish to understand photography at its most fundamental level and to bring the process within reach for anyone who shares the same fascination. As we exchanged messages,...

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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 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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24 Feb
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, Zebra Dry Plates

Coating Ultra-Large Plates: Expert Tips and Techniques

I’m often asked whether coating ultra-large plates, like the impressive 20×24-inch pieces, is significantly harder than working with smaller ones. The answer? Both yes and no. When you move up to this scale, every step of the process demands greater precision, patience, and practice. Spreading emulsion evenly across such a vast surface isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Using a syringe coating technique, for instance, often means stopping to refill your emulsion cup three or four times while keeping the plate perfectly level to prevent spills. The weight of a large glass plate can actually help stabilize it with your fingers, as...

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19 Feb
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, PRINTING PROCESSES, Zebra Dry Plates

The Art of Contact Printing on Zebra Dry Plate Tintypes

Adrian Anderson has been using Zebra Dry Plates for quite some time now, and he absolutely loves them. While he plans to use a camera to expose them eventually, the cost of large-format photography has led him to explore an alternative approach: contact printing. This method allows him to produce beautiful positive plates using digital images, and I want to take a moment to appreciate Adrian Anderson’s invaluable contribution to this process. His meticulous research and experimentation have provided a solid foundation for anyone looking to try this technique. Thanks to Adrian’s work, it’s clear that you don’t need an...

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Building-Darkroom-Drying-Cabinet-for-Dry-Plates-build-guide
29 Sep
DARKROOM BUILD, EMULSION, EQUIPMENT, Zebra Dry Plates

Building a Darkroom Drying Cabinet for Dry Plates: A Comprehensive Guide

Following my last video, many of the viewers and my followers were interested in knowing more about my Darkroom Drying Cabinet for drying dry plates, so I have decided to put together another video and this blog post to give you a better insight into how the cabinet was built and how it performs after two years of heavy use. At the bottom of this blog, you can also find a detailed list of materials as well as links to the STL files for the 3D-printed parts. Why Build a Darkroom Drying Cabinet? I have been commercially producing Zebra Dry Plates since...

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Sabbatier-effect-Step-by-Step-Tutorial
27 Oct
AUTOCHROME, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, OTHER

Sabattier Effect – Detailed Step by Step Tutorial

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...

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How to make Silver Gelatine emulsion
28 Apr
AUTOCHROME, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, OTHER

Basic Silver Gelatine Emulsion

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...

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Reuse-scrap-dry-plates-large-format-film
24 Apr
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, OTHER

Reuse scrap Dry Plates & Large Format Film

If you shoot analog on a regular basis you know how much film gets wasted due to experimenting, failed exposures and so on. In a very short time you are left with a stack of unusable film. I have the exact same problem with dry plates and because nature already has enough weist on its shoulders I would like to show you how dry plates or even modern film can be recoated and reused. Types of base / support ? Emulsion can be coated on different transparent surfaces. When making glass dry plates light sensitive emulsion is coated directly on a glass support...

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14 Feb
EMULSION, EQUIPMENT, ON THE FIELD, Uncategorized

Large Format Landscape Photography in Pouring Rain

Two weeks ago I launched commercially available hand coated 4x5 glass dry plates meaning I spent a lot of time in my shipping container darkroom producing, packing and sending them all around the world. It's an incredible honor to be able to bring some history back and produce light sensitive materials that others can make images with. If you would like to try them out they are available in my Store. I really love doing it but I also love to be out in the field and explore the nature. It has been a while since I packed my camera...

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