WORKSHOP: Intro to Wet Plate (with Penumbra Foundation)

Saturday, April 18th, 2026 from 10am – 6pm

$385  Non-Members
$350  VCP Members
(Register online below)

Join Penumbra Foundation’s tintype Studio Photographer, Sam Dole, for a day of wet plate portraits hosted at VCP. Considered by many to be the Polaroid of the 19th century, wet plate collodion (tintypes) are made almost instantaneously through a process that uses hand-poured chemicals on an enameled sheet of metal.

In this one-day workshop, Sam will teach students how to create tintypes in camera using natural light. Students will learn the techniques of preparing the plate, pouring collodion, exposing, developing, fixing, and varnishing, as well as chemical safety. Working in small teams, students will get the chance to photograph, assist, and even pose for a portrait!

*If inclement weather is prohibitive, the class will be held indoors in VCP’s classroom space.

 

About the Instructor:

Sam Dole is an NYC-based photographer and educator specializing in large format and the wet plate collodion process. For over 15 years, he has brought his knowledge and experience of historical photographic processes to commercial client projects, reintroducing the medium to the mainstream and broadening its audience.

He has served as a technical consultant on commercial projects collaboratively with photographers for clients ranging from Carhartt, Redemption Rye, Smithsonian Magazine Online, and programs on Paramount Network (Yellowstone, 1883, 1923, and Lawmen: Bass Reeves), among others. His work has been featured in various publications, including Cabana Magazine and View Camera, and he has produced in-game graphics for Red Dead Redemption 2 by Rockstar Games. Since 2011, Sam has been involved with Penumbra Foundation, where he currently teaches basic and advanced lighting courses in wet plate collodion and is the photographer for Penumbra’s in-house Tintype Portrait Studio.

 

About the Penumbra Foundation: 

Penumbra Foundation is a non-profit organization that brings together the Art and Science of Photography through education, exhibitions, research, outreach, public and residency programs. Its goal is to be a comprehensive resource for photographers at any level, artists, students, professionals, historians, researchers, conservators, and curators.

 

Find a complete list of upcoming workshops and events at VCP here.