Nowadays, most photographers shoot on digital and I'm very used to shooting for digital cameras. I like to change poses quickly while shooting and keep things going at a fast pace. It just makes the shoot go by faster. On occasion, I've shot with photographers who will take some shots on a film camera, usually 35mm, but this type of style doesn't alter the way I model all that much.
One of the most interesting shoots I worked on in 2017 was on tintype with Tintypes by Horst for Gigi's House of Frills. I've shot for Gigi's numerous times now, and I've been featured on their business cards and websites. I really like shooting for them so when Julia (the owner) asked me if I wanted to model for Gigi's on tintypes, I was really excited. However, due to the nature of shooting these types of pictures, I had to alter the way I posed quite a bit. I'll explain it all below!
Tintypes (also known as a melainotype or a ferrotype) are photographs that are created by using a thin sheet of metal coated with a dark lacquer, which is used as support for the photographic emulsion (chemicals dispersed in gelatin, which acts as a base for layers of film, used to create the image). Most tintypes use silver halide to create images, giving the shots a glowing quality. Tintypes were mostly used in the 1860s and 70s and faded out with new developments in photographic technology. Most photos we have of the American Civil War were shot on tintype.
Nowadays, they're mostly used for novelty purposes, and part of this is the experience of what it would have been like to have had your photograph taken in the 1860s. Most noteworthy is the fact that I had to hold poses for MUCH longer than usual and it took several minutes to set up the camera to get each shot. When I normally shoot, we end up with hundreds of photos but on tintype, we shot less than ten photos, most of which I believe I have on digital now.
Now onto the wardrobe! Julia from Gigi's brought in the most beautiful vintage reproduction and true vintage lingerie. In the darker set, I'm wearing a shawl by With Love Lingerie and a bra by What Katie Did, and the lighter look is true 1920s vintage with 50s stockings held up by ribbons and boudoir slippers by Foo Foo Slippers. While the ribbons were adorable, they didn't do the job a garter belt or even an elastic would. But luckily they were just for photos and not for practical wear! But if someone could make little ribbon garters that actually held up stockings, I'd be the first to buy them.
Below are the rest of the shots, I hope you like them! Let me know what you think about tintype photography and the lingerie shot for this set in the comments!
Credits:
Photography: Tintypes by Horst
Hair: Sam's Hairband
Styling: Gigi's House of Frills
Makeup and model: me!