09 Nov
AUTOCHROME, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

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

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,...

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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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21 Oct
DARKROOM BUILD, EQUIPMENT, KICKSTARTER, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

From a Small Darkroom Dream to a Worldwide Community – Celebrating 4 Years of Zebra 🎉

When I think about Zebra turning four today, my mind goes all the way back to my days as a student at the School of Arts. Back then, I spent endless hours in my container darkroom working on my bachelor’s degree, studying and recreating Autochrome Lumière. I can still remember the smell of chemicals, the quiet hum of the ventilation, and the feeling of carefully holding a fragile glass plate in my hands. Seeing that first faint image appear on glass felt like magic. It was a moment that changed everything. I fell completely in love with the process, the slowness,...

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01 Oct
EQUIPMENT, KICKSTARTER, ON THE FIELD, Zebra Dry Plates

Design Finalised – Zebra Daylight Processing Tanks Enter Production

Since wrapping up our 1100% funded Kickstarter campaign in early July, things at the Zebra workshop have been moving quickly. Instead of pausing to celebrate, we’ve taken all the energy and excitement and poured it directly into finalising the design of the Zebra Daylight Processing Tanks. I’m thrilled to share that the final prototype is now complete, and we have over 600 tanks currently in production. Our goal from the very beginning was simple: to build a processing system that is not only easy and fast to use, but also safe, reliable, and durable enough to last a lifetime. If you’ve been...

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10 Sep
Zebra Dry Plates

Zebra Store US Tax & EU Shipping Updates – Making Plate Photography More Accessible

At Zebra, our mission has always been simple yet ambitious: to make the beauty of plate photography available to everyone. Whether you are just starting your journey with handmade emulsions or are an experienced practitioner exploring new techniques, we want to make sure that nothing stands in the way of your creativity, not shipping hurdles, not customs paperwork, and certainly not hidden costs. Over the past months, we have been listening closely to your feedback and working behind the scenes to improve the way our products reach you. Photography is an art form that deserves dedication and care, and we believe...

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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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02 Jul
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

From Shipping Container to Darkroom Factory: The New Darkroom in Action

In the last blog, I wrapped up most of the darkroom essentials, furniture, sink, safelights, and more. With those foundations in place, it was finally time to move everything from my tiny shipping container darkroom into the spacious new Zebra Factory darkroom. It’s been a long time coming! The move wasn’t exactly light work. Chemicals, photographic paper, dark bags, stickers, labware, you name it, I made several trips back and forth. The old darkroom will now be repurposed into a raw plate storage and cleaning unit, which is much needed as our raw plate stock has grown massively over the last...

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19 Jun
AUTOCHROME, EQUIPMENT, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

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

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...

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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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