Tintype Studio (Texas Country Reporter)

Get your picture taken, the old fashioned way.

Ellen Leathers-Wishart
Tintype Studio
5623 Bell Ave
Dallas, TX 75206
Phone: 505-386-8755
Website: http://www.ellenwishart.com/

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Video Script:: 

[Music] there's nothing that says Texas quite like the liveliness of a small town square families taking a stroll among the shops while friends get together for brunch all under the shadow of a historic courthouse here in Waxahachie it's the perfect place for Ellen leathers wishart to set up her photography studio I think I've always been interested in photography and the first time I started taking pictures was when I was 12 my dad gave me a Pentax k1000 for my 12th birthday and I've been taking pictures since then while most photographers use the latest and greatest multi shoot Ultra HD 4k camera with more attachments that you can imagine Ellen's model of choice is a little bit older because her style of photography has been around for ages alright so now I'm just sitting up composition I'm not actually taking it yet so how old is your camera late 1800s amazing as more thing you've got digital I have craved the old process more and more and tilt your head very slightly down yeah and this is basically as far back as you can go it's the second kind of photography ever invented daguerreotype who's the first and that's a lot more complicated and uses mercury fumes and all kinds of scary stuff this is a very toxic to but a little less intimidating and I'm gonna take it on the count of three one two three [Music] and types are sensitive to my specific light rays so blue comes out as white and red comes out as black so blue eyes will be really ghostly and freckles would be really dark and there's this like depth and crispness to it there's basically endless detail although tintype photography reached peak popularity in the 1860s and 70s before slowly fading away Ellen's seen a resurgence in these vintage visuals over the last few years so she built her very own traveling tintype studio I'm gonna have you turn a little bit more yep where you can get your picture taken just like they did back in the day and trust us when we say it's an experience you'll never forget all right I'm gonna take the picture on the count of three a lot of times people are coming in to mark a sexual occasion an anniversary a birthday you know that's just another thing that makes this process special is that you have this object and it's your one photo of that one moment and you cherish that it's very different than scrolling through our phones of pictures that won't hardly ever print [Music] whoa what is it about the human face that you like I don't know I think it's that people have so many stories that they tell in their faces and I love connecting with people and hearing their stories and sharing my story is great Wow for example I had that these two sisters come in who were being so loving and they were so excited and it was one I think it was one of their birthdays or they were on the birthday outing or something and they were it was such a fun interaction and then when I poured the Fixer on and it came to a positive they I brought them to tears and they were also sharing how it was the anniversary of their dads death and it was also really special for them to like share that moment together and I'm getting teary I was thinking about of it it was so special and that I got to share that with them because they were like marking this moment and I was a part of that and I made that for them [Music] they say that a picture's worth a thousand words and thanks to Ellen leathers wishart the stories on our faces are being preserved forever every special moment and every heartfelt memory is captured in a flash and she says there's nothing more magical than that I've had so many wonderful experiences in here and for me it has a lot to do with really seeing this moment that existed and was captured very physically on this piece of metal I'm like watching that up here is still surprising of how magical and beautiful it is [Music] you