Mr. Jeffrey Needles came to us with his girlfriend, Lauren Coker this past summer for a couples portrait, a portrait of their dog and an idea of recreating a photograph of a family member. More specifically Jeffrey's sister-in-law's father's uncle, so not exactly a blood relative but a relative nonetheless. Here's the setup and preparation with Jeffrey on the left along with the old photo of his long lost relative circa 1890 on the right. Jeffrey Needles is styled by his girlfriend Ren and Salimah in preparation of a recreation photo of Needles non blood relative.  And the final results ..read more

Epically surreal and ephemeral, the event of the Total Solar Eclipse on August 21st will forever be etched in my mind and luckily on a few tintypes as well. The race up on a crisp 3:30 am drive was expectedly met with others of the same intent. Wyoming was the destination for almost all Denverites plus the thousands of others from around the country and the world wanting a glimpse of totality. Our target was Guernsey State Park, public land just far enough away from the neighboring Glendo State Park, which we knew would be even more crowded, we hoped to find enough space (and time) to se ..read more

The number one question we get here at RELIC is what to wear during a tintype session, so I put together a list of suggestions to follow plus some example tintype images to further illustrate what works the best! What to wear: Generally we like to recommend high contrast, black & white, clothing. Stripes and polka dots seem to work wonderfully as does white lace on black or any other dark color, plaid or checkers also look good. Sequins or clothing with sparkles or glitter can look very nice. Most of our customers dress in modern clothing although we have had a few people come in fully dre ..read more

A traditional 10th year anniversary gift is tin or aluminum. It is said that the pliability of tin and aluminum is a symbol of how a successful marriage needs to be flexible and durable and how it can be bent without being broken. We've had many couples who have found us on Google by typing in the keywords "Tin & Denver" so I thought it might be a good time to write a post on it.  Tim with his wife Jacky Johannsen celebrating their ten year anniversary by taking a tintype portrait together. Our customers seek out the Tintype idea for a 10-year-anniversary gift as a creative alte ..read more

Recently while doing some research for a family project I discovered much more than imagery. Digging up photographs from the past and then finally viewing them for the first time led to a deep, resonating feeling of personal connection. Experiencing a generational pull into the images awakened other senses. As I looked deep into the collection of images I felt myself tasting a dusty back yard, hearing a mix of Spanish and English voices, smelling cigar smoke and whiskey and feeling a humbleness and survival like spirit within the eyes of my family members.  The writing on the back of thi ..read more

I'm proud to announce my newest wet plate collodion (tintype) photographic work published in 5280 magazine this month! Here is the link to the Feature story, which is a very good read: Click Here for 5280 Feature Story I was honored to help tell the story of local veteran Julian Scadden whom accompanies dying veterans during their final hours at the VA in Denver. Sometimes patients aren't fortunate enough to have family at their side during their last moments, that's where Scadden walks in. If anyone should be considered a hero it should be him. Military heroes aren't always merited on feats ..read more

For a limited time if you book a session with us before this Valentine's day you can receive: 1 LARGE couples plate plus 1 bottle of sparkling wine for only $119.00 !! A $160 value ! Getting your tintype is an experience in itself.  You will be able to experience the process of wet plate collodion photography first hand. Our recent participants have described our Valentine's package as a perfect date night.  Your tintype will become a family heirloom and a precious memory for the mantel. Slow down with a slow selfie ..read more

Scene from "The Dark Valley" Recently and by total coincidence, I've come across two movies on Netflix that have 19th century processes featured in them. Most notably, was a movie titled, "The Dark Valley". Curiously enough it's an Austrian-German Western film set in the Alps and includes some very striking scenes of the daguerreotype process. In the beginning scenes of the movie a lone horseman rides into a dark, cold town under the guise of a photographer.  Scene from "The Dark Valley" Sam Riley's character riding into town complete with daguerreotype gear packed up on a sec ..read more

It has been an extremely successful show. Recently we received some love from the New York Times on their "NYT Now" app for iphone / ipad. The photos are currently published through the app or you can Click on this link to see the photos ..read more