From the mid 19th century until as late as the early 1930's many photographers made their living traveling the byways and back roads of America, offering their services in small towns then moving onto the next. Known as "Itinerant Photographers", these savvy businessmen learned early the value a simple image of a loved one can have.

During the Civil War a photographic likeness of a husband, father or brother going off to war became a treasured keepsake and in many cases became a small remembrance after their lives were lost.

As the Nation moved West the photographers went along, capturing some of the most iconic images in American history. From the joining of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869 to the tragic events at Wounded Knee in 1890, early photography began to document this Countries history, both good and bad.

As a person with a deep love of history I do everything I can to be as accurate as possible in my photographic endeavors. From the chemicals I mix to the equipment I use, all of it remains much as it was over a 150 years ago.

The top image to the right is a tintype image of my Photographers Wagon. Wagons such as this were a popular way for a photographer to carry his chemicals and equipment from place to place. No two wagons were alike, having been made from scratch to serve their single purpose. They ranged in size from full railroad boxcars to small hand drawn carts, like mine.

The photographic process they were designed for was known as Wet Plate Collodion, a technique developed by Frederick Scott Archer in 1848. The process requires the photographer to chemically sensitize a plate of Japanned Iron or metal (known as a ferrotype/tintype) or clear glass (know as a ambrotype), place the plate in the camera,, shoot the desired image and then quickly develop the plate. The whole process, simplified in my explanation, takes but a few minutes from start to finish and results in a very fine photographic image, one that will quite literally last for centuries.

At living history events, reenactments and museum venues I demonstrate this photographic technique and offer my services to those interested in having a likeness of themselves made, just as it would have been done over 150 years ago.