A modern-day Alexander Gardner creates tintypes

I marveled watching wet-plate photographer John Bernaski create tintypes last weekend at a Civil War encampment in Madison, Conn., near Long Island Sound. The old-time craft requires patience and a lot of skill, but the end result is often beautiful ... and better than contemporary photography. Bernaski, who's from northern New Jersey, has perfected his technique since he began shooting tintypes 13 years ago. ...

... a young couple patiently poses as Bernaski works his magic with his bulky camera, similar to the version Alexander Gardner used to shoot images at Antietam and elsewhere in the field during the Civil War. The lens of his camera, Bernaski told me, dates to the 1850s. To produce his images, he uses the same process and same chemicals Civil War-era photographers used. ...

... just like most Civil War-era subjects, this couple must remain still for seconds so the final image does not appear blurred. Civil War photographers could not easily capture motion. ...

... a close-up of Bernaski's camera. ... 

... a Union officer poses for his image while Bernaski prepares his camera. ...

... an image of a Union chaplain rests in a bath of chemicals before the drying process begins. Bernaski charges $35 for a quarter-plate image, more for larger image sizes. ...

a table of the final product ... 

... like Civil War-era photographers, Bernaski has a portable studio. ...

.. for a much more detailed explanation of the wet-plate tintype process, go here and here or watch a pretty cool video here.