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.

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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.

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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27 Jan
DARKROOM BUILD, OTHER

A New Chapter for Zebra Workshop: Our 30m² Darkroom Expansion

Back in 2020, I started the Zebra Dry Plate business from a small shipping container. What started as a passion for reviving the art of dry plate photography has grown into a thriving community of creators and a production operation that now reaches enthusiasts worldwide. Over the years, as demand and creativity have soared, so has the need for space—and it’s clear we’ve outgrown our current setup. Every corner of our workspace is currently packed, especially with the excitement of fulfilling our latest Kickstarter pledges. It’s been an amazing journey,...

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25 Dec
EQUIPMENT, KICKSTARTER, WET PLATE PHOTOGRAPHY, Zebra Dry Plates

Customise Your Zebra Sensitising Tanks Your Way! 🦓

Hi friends, I wanted to take a moment to share some exciting updates about the Zebra Sensitising Tanks with you. Many of you already have them in your hands (or on the way!), and it’s been incredible to hear your feedback and see how you’re using them. It’s truly inspiring to know that these tools are helping you in your creative journey. When we set out to design the Zebra Sensitising Tank, one of our goals was to make it as versatile and adaptable as possible. That’s...

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15 Nov
EQUIPMENT, KICKSTARTER, WET PLATE PHOTOGRAPHY, Zebra Dry Plates

Finalising the Design – ZEBRA SENSITISING TANKS GOT EVEN BETTER!

Hello Everyone, We are beyond grateful for the overwhelming support you’ve shown for our Kickstarter campaign for the Zebra Sensitising Tanks! With your enthusiasm and trust, we’ve reached over 340% of our funding goal, and we’re only halfway through the campaign. This incredible milestone wouldn’t have been possible without your backing and invaluable feedback. Your insights have driven us to make the Zebra Sensitising Tanks more versatile, durable, and effective than ever before for the Wet Plate Collodion process. We’re committed to delivering a product that exceeds expectations, with dispatching slated to...

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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.

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