In this hands-on workshop you will learn how to make direct positive tintypes from start to finish. Each plate is a one-of-a-kind positive image exposed directly in camera on blackened metal. This process uses collodion and silver nitrate to create an image with a surreal quality that will last for generations. Students will learn the chemical process and how to pour, expose, develop and varnish their own plates. They will also observe the work of past wet collodion masters, learn the history of the process, and then shoot and process their own plates with one-on-one instructor guidance. The full process will be demonstrated and plates will be exposed using natural light and processed on-site. After completing this workshop, students will have the foundation of skills, experience and information to continue the wet plate process on their own.

Through photography, writing and research, Paul Elter explores the intersections of art, science, and history. Elter is a multidisciplinary artist, independent researcher, and on some Tuesdays, a poet, whose primary photographic medium is wet plate collodion. A writer-in-residence at the Al Purdy A-Frame (2023) he has lectured internationally, including at the Colour Fever Symposium at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (2021). His most recent book Silver Tongued (2025) is a 300-page art book, which brings together itinerant story gathering, wet plate portraiture, and poetry, in an exploration of chemistry, dialogue, and design. A specialist in analogue and digital imaging, Elter spent 22 years managing the photographic logistics, digitization, and archiving at the National Gallery of Canada.

Elter will be giving a free artist talk on Friday July 10th at 6pm in the SPAO Studio as he launches his new book Silver Tongued. Books will be available for purchase at the event.