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Tintype Summer - The Book

Help publish tintype images made across 30 states and stories that go with each one. The epic 12.000 mile journey will make a no less epic book.

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Tintype Summer - The Book

Tintype Summer - The Book

Tintype Summer - The Book

Tintype Summer - The Book

Tintype Summer - The Book

Help publish tintype images made across 30 states and stories that go with each one. The epic 12.000 mile journey will make a no less epic book.

Help publish tintype images made across 30 states and stories that go with each one. The epic 12.000 mile journey will make a no less epic book.

Help publish tintype images made across 30 states and stories that go with each one. The epic 12.000 mile journey will make a no less epic book.

Help publish tintype images made across 30 states and stories that go with each one. The epic 12.000 mile journey will make a no less epic book.

Anton Orlov
Anton Orlov
Anton Orlov
Anton Orlov
3 Campaigns |
San Diego, United States
$1,545 USD 22 backers
61% of $2,500 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Highlights
Mountain Filled 3 Projects Mountain Filled 3 Projects

Short Summary

  For 4 months, from June to October of 2013, I traveled 12.000mi across US while making over 300 tintype plates along the way.  Each tintype is not only unique simply by the nature of the process, but each one also comes with a set of memories that surround it's creation.  A story of the journey will be combined into an illustrated memoir-style book told in 'passages' - a page or so of writing to accompany each image.  As rewards for your contributions you will own the original draft of that passage, getting a chance to read it well before the book is published, AND the original plate that goes with it!  Each passage and plate will be personally signed.

More About the Book

   After learning the process I found myself completely in love with wet plate photography.  It was only natural that I would want to fuse it with my love of traveling.  So it was decided - the second Photo Palace Bus cross-country trip was to be dedicated to making tintypes and ambrotypes!  You can learn all about wet plate photography HERE and The Photo Palace Bus HERE, but for right now let's concentrate on this book project and what led up to it, shall we?

  Starting in San Diego I drove to Seattle and then across the continent on to Maine and D.C., before taking Route 66 all the way back from Chicago to Los Angeles.  Everywhere I went I stopped and made tintypes of scenes and people that excited and inspired me.  I met many wonderful characters along the way while showing people how the process works, visited photographers and other friends, found myself lost amid the mountains of Montana and stuck in traffic in Chicago.  I took major freeways, minor highways, small roads and windy dirt covered paths.  Usually I would make 1-2 plates at a time because of the time it took to set up the chemistry and equipment, compose, expose and process the image and to break down the whole setup.  From the joys of the open road to the despair of having a broken transmission while being 3000mi from home, all the trials and triumphs will be described in the book.

  Traveling across 30 states I gathered as many memories as I did plates and now I would like to share them with You and the world.  I kept a blog during the journey, but there was no time to tell the story behind each image no matter how fun or fascinating they were.  Now I can want to dedicate as much attention to each photograph as they truly deserve.  It will be a visual diary with about one page of writing per image or an image pair.

  I envision this book in three parts: 1 - Camp Tintype and Before, 2 - New England and After, 3 - Route 66.  Chapters in each part will be made from short passages printed by the image or images they describe.  Those passages and tintypes that go along with them are offered as rewards in this campaign.

  There are a lot of images and just as many memories, so there's a lot of writing and recollection to be done.  After receiving your contribution I will make a good digital copy of each plate for the book before sending it to you (that will be a lot of work by itself).  The book will be published once ALL the plates are sold and all the stories are written.

Rewards

  Here is the most exciting part - you can own one of these beautiful tintypes (or ambrotypes) AND get a chance to see the writing that goes with it well ahead of everyone else!  I will send you the plate along with the passage - you will be the first one to read it's story and when the book is published you will know that you own one of the original plates. 

 Although it is my preference as an artist to select a plate that you will receive as a thanks for your contribution you can indeed take a look at THE BLOG (at posts from June to August 2013) and after making your contribution let me know your first three choices of plates you liked.  Some plates are already sold, but I will do the best to fulfill your desires.  If you chose to select a plate for yourself you please include your top three selections with a message though here or, after making a contribution, send me an email at thephotopalace@gmail.com.

   I can not begin to tell you how much more beautiful a real tintype is when compared to a quick iPhone JPEG copy that I have placed on the blog or even the final print in the book.  Even though I will make sure that prints in the book will be of the best possible quality, nothing can compare to the seemingly infinite detail of the original wet plate image and the way the light shimmers on the surface of millions of silver particles.  It is truly a sight to behold.
 
  There is a limited amount of plates available - reserve one for yourself by pledging your support.  I should also mention that there is of course no limit on how many times you can pledge and how many passages and plates you can get.

  To get a taste for my writing style you can read THIS ENORMOUS BLOG ENTRY.  In the book a lot more attention will be paid to each specific image, but reading that blog entry should give you an idea of what to expect.

  Single Plates and Passages - I created a lot of 3.5x4.5in plates, a lot less of 4x6in ones and even fewer 7.25x9.25in ones.  While traveling across the continent I was selling my plates for $250, $350 and $600 depending on the size and had a good amount of plates were indeed sold.  Now I am lowering the price to make them more affordable to all interested.  That said, I would like to encourage those who can afford to do so to make contributions at or above the original asking price.
  There are only 2 of 8x20in monster-size plates and those are priced accordingly higher.
 
  ROUTE 66, AN ENTIRE 3rd CHAPTER - ONE lucky individual will have a chance to buy an entire 3rd chapter of the book.  All of the Route 66 images (except for the very first plate, that has already been bought before I started this project) will stay together.  That is 117 out of 118 images!  Don't worry - the first image actually has an almost identical twin taken from the exact same camera position but with a longer lens.  I would like for one person to own them because they create a beautifully consistent body of work that someday I hope will be exhibited all together.
  If you are considering this monumental purchase feel free to check out the images you'll be getting HERE.  There is a bit of general writing there as well, which I plan to expand greatly to get into the details about each image.
 

About the Funding Goal

  Obviously I set the full funding of this campaign WAY too low for publishing the entire book.  I did that with the aim of quickly reaching the goal and not having to lose the extra 4% in fees.  It is my hope that the goal will be surpassed by far and that many more contributors will pitch in than needed for full funding to be achieved.  This is a campaign that is aimed at helping me write the stories and distributing them and the accompanying images across the globe.  Again, the full book will be published only after ALL (or at least 90% of) the plates are sold.

  Maybe you love the idea, but you just can't contribute.  Maybe you have already contributed and want to see this book come to fruition.  Either way -  please help out by spreading the word about this campaign.


Thank you!

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Choose your Perk

Well-wisher

$5 USD
I know that sometimes we would like to support a project, but it's just not within our budgets to do so at a higher level. For contributions of $5-34 I will send you a personal message of thanks and your contribution will help put wind beneath the wings of this project.
5 claimed

Silver Postcard

$35 USD
During my visit to Troy NY I happened to get amazingly lucky and found some extremely rare Kodak AZO Post Card Paper! This is legendary chloride contact print paper and there is nothing that quite compares to it. I suggest looking up its history - after all it had a run of over 100 years! You will receive personal thanks from Anton printed upon AZO paper.
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
3 out of 50 of claimed

Silver Fibers

$80 USD
It's little fibers that make up a beautiful cloth, so for this level of support you will get 2 8x10 gelatin silver FIBER prints. Images will be chosen from the negatives created during the summer trip using my first Rolleiflex camera. Prints will be personally signed to you and the edition amount will equal to the number of supporters in this category.
Estimated Shipping
February 2014
3 claimed

Quarter Plate and Story

$125 USD
The little gem - 3.5x4.5in tintype and a story surrounding it's creation. Your package will be sent out within 5 days of your contribution. International contributors - please add $10 to cover extra shipping costs
Estimated Shipping
January 2014
5 out of 100 of claimed

Half Plate and Story

$245 USD
A beautiful 4x6in tintype and a story surrounding it's creation. Your package will be sent out within 5 days of your contribution. International contributors - please add $10 to cover extra shipping costs
1 out of 10 of claimed

Whole Plate and Story

$525 USD
Large and stunning 7.25x9.25in tintype and a story surrounding it's creation. Your package will be sent out within 5 days of your contribution. International contributors - please add $10 to cover extra shipping costs
0 out of 5 of claimed

Monster Plate and Story

$910 USD
A huge 8x20in tintype and a story surrounding it's creation. Due to the difficulty of making wet plate images of this size I only made 2 of them during the entire trip. I can't even begin to describe the look of these - you'll just have to see it when you get it... Your package will be sent out within 5 days of your contribution. International contributors - please add $10 to cover extra shipping costs
0 out of 2 of claimed

Entire 3rd Chapter - Route 66

$8,800 USD
This is by far the best deal - 117 3.5x4.5in tintypes documenting the Mother Road as it runs for 2400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles through 8 states. That's about 1/2 price for each plate - only $75/image, but you got to get them ALL. This is a truly unique opportunity to own a beautiful body of work. It will take me some time to write everything about this 12-day adventure, so please allow time for delivery. Also, your name will be mentioned in a special passage at the end of this chapter.
0 out of 1 of claimed
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