anatomyofahaunting.html

There are lots of ways to make spirit photographs, many based on the idea that when the camera sees one part of a scene for about half the time that everything else is exposed, that part will appear semi-transparent. It’s easiest to add a ghost in the darkroom (or today, in an image editing program) but making a spirit tintype poses a special challenge. Tintypes are made without a negative, meaning there’s no opportunity for darkroom manipulation: everything must happen while the tintype is being exposed in the camera. What follows is only one of several possible methods to achieve the same haunting result.

The camera and the subject must not move if the finished picture is to be sharp. The process begins when a prepared light-sensitive plate is put in the camera and the lens is uncapped.

For the first half of the exposure — say about three seconds — the “medium” must stare ahead at a fixed point and hold still.

The next step must be done quickly. The lens is covered so no light enters the camera …

then a ghostly figure moves into place. The medum holds her pose, and the lens is uncovered.

Now light is again entering the camera and striking the tintype plate, recording the image. After another three seconds or so,

the exposure is complete. The “ghost” and the “medium” enjoy a glass of Sherry while the photographer develops the picture.

The completed tintype shows a ghost who’s half there, and half not — a remarkably convincing effect. The unidentified photographer has created a beautiful image that goes beyond gimmickry. The large bouquet of flowers seems prominent in the picture, perhaps representing the fleeting and transient nature of life.