Session Info
PLEASE NOTE* There is a $40 deposit charged when you book. This goes toward your session total cost which we settle up at the end of your appointment. If you cancel your appointment, rather than reschedule, this deposit is not refunded.
(Please email margaretmuzaphoto@gmail.com for information regarding off-site sessions, house call sessions, events, or party tintype pop-up booth)
If you would like more than one tintype, any additional shots after the first one are $20 off the usual price. To be clear, additional tintypes are $20 cheaper, not $20 total. Since there are no negatives in this process, there is no way to make duplicates. There is a scanner at the studio for archiving, and I email you your scans after I’ve washed and dried the plate. I typically send scans within 4 days, and the physical image comes in the mail after I have varnished it. It can take up to a month for me to mail them depending on my schedule, but I can always put a rush on it if there is a specific need for them to arrive sooner. During the holidays I tend to turn them around much faster as people like to gave them for gifts.
On holding still, for indoor shoots, I use a flash, but there is still en element of being able to hold still that is necessary for the getting the shot right. For those bringing children or pets, there is a chance that these subjects may move, and I do my best to get the timing right, but please come prepared for the possibility. It can take about 15-20 minutes start to finish to make a tintype, so it's important to take the time and get it right the first time. The wetplate process is a lot slower than what we are used to in this digital world, but the results are well worth the time and care.
On bringing pets, I am an animal lover, so cats and dogs are welcome! It’s always easy for me to photograph an animal small enough to be held. Bigger dogs are do able as well, but not more than one big dog per image please :) Its almost always chaotic, but I don’t mind and the final product is worth it!
Porch tintypes : I offer limited porch sessions between may and October. Be sure you’ve signed up for my mailing list if you want to stay in the loop about what areas I will be in and how to sign up! I will mostly be going neighborhood to neighborhood and will try to announce them at least a week in advance. If you have a special request, feel free to send me an email though the contact tab on my site!
Tips for what to wear: I usually suggest to avoid white, and also avoid black clothing. Glasses do not typically translate right. Most of the time we get a lot of glare, and most coated lenses turn out looking like sunglasses. If you can- please brig an old pair with the lenses popped out to wear instead! However, should you choose to wear glasses with lenses I dont do re-takes if you don’t like the way they turn out. Textures look really cool, like denim. Makeup colors that look good are red lipstick. Purple, pink, and fuchsia turn out looking like white, so it doesn’t turn out the way you’d expect.