River City Tintype

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326 E College St
Louisville, KY 40203
Witness the magic of historical photography and make heirloom portraits in silver. Invented in 1851, wet-plate collodion tintype photography involves coating a metal plate with light-sensitive chemistry to make an image. Because this process does not involve film negatives, each plate captures a singular image that will last lifetimes, with a metallic surface and high level of detail that could never be duplicated with a digital process or filter. Located near downtown Louisville, my studio occupies the first floor of a house built in 1885, with a darkroom and portrait parlor modeled after those in the 19th century. In a studio portrait session, we’ll discuss the tintype process, look at historical and contemporary examples, and plan poses for portraits. You’ll see the process from start to finish, from coating a plate to developing in the darkroom. After your session, I will varnish your plates and mail them to you. You will also receive high-resolution images via email.

Reviews

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5.09 reviews
Photo of Candice B.
Candice B.
9/22/2025

This was such an incredible experience! It is so much more than a picture. Rudy walked us through the history of tintype photography, showed up his album of tintype photos. The studio is like a...

Photo of Shelby R.
Shelby R.
7/20/2025

This is such a cool space! Rudy at River City Tintype made us feel very informed about the process of these specialized portraits. He's got a really cool collection of antique tintypes and his...

Photo of Cody B.
Cody B.
9/26/2024

Rudy, is a true sweetheart and keeper of such a precious craft. My partner and I spent an afternoon at River City Tintype to create some forever portraits. We were able to nerd out over Rudy's...

Photo of Lauren V.
Lauren V.
5/24/2023

Rudy is fantastic! When we originally reached out to him to do tintypes for our wedding he invited us to come meet him at his studio. We stayed for a bit just talking to him as well as talking...

Photo of Stephanie K.
Stephanie K.
10/15/2024

Rudy made me feel so comfortable and the session was full of joy! He is so knowledgable and it was a treat to learn about the process. I felt so at ease and the final image blew me away. Do this...

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