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My name is Honza Sakař and I am the owner/photographer at Fotograf na plech tintype portrait studio. My main focus lies in portraiture, but I also do documentary and landscape work (check out my portfolio).
Besides portrait and commercial commisions, I also do exhibitions, teach workshops and sell fine art prints.
I have spent the last five years practicing a slow, messy and complicated but also highly rewarding, unique and utterly beautiful photographic process from the 1850s called wet plate collodion. There are more ways to produce wet plates (positives/negatives, glass, metal, plexiglass) – my choice is direct positive images on aluminium sheets of various sizes – tintypes. Hence my business name: in Czech, “fotograf” means “photographer” and “na plech” means “tintype”, but also “drunk, wasted or high”. With all the ether and alcohol used, it is not hard to imagine how that could happen :).
What is a tintype?
A tintype is a photograph taken directly on a metal (tin) sheet. The process used to make them , wet plate collodion, was invented by an English gentleman Frederick Scott Archer. Back then, it was a revolution. Thanks to the wet plate process photography became much faster, less dangerous to make, and cheaper, which made it much more accessible to people than the few earlier techniques it replaced.
How is an ancient technique like that still relevant today?
Because it represents the complete opposite of
the digital, super fast, over-saturated world we live in today. Everything is hand made. The whole process requires everyone involved to slow down, really think things through and put their best efforts into the one exposure. Not hundreds, not thousands of exposures. Just one, made on the very tin plate you will bring home with you. Also, the plate will last for hundreds of years, which has already been well tested since the 1850s.
How do I book?
If you enjoy my work and would like to come in for a session of your own, please get in touch through the contact section of my page and let me know what date and time would suit you the most (providing more than one option is always a good idea). My schedule is busy, but I always do my best to accomodate all booking requests. Generally, calling is the quickest option as I cannot check my email or text very often while in the studio, but if you are not in a hurry, I will read your message and get back to you within 24 hours.
What's included?
– spoken introduction into the history of the wet plate process
– full presentation of all the steps and chemical processes involved
– your final portrait plate, varnished and packaged for safe travel
– archival reproductions printed in handmade carbon pigment inks also possible and can be ordered separately
Session length
A typical tintype portrait session with one final plate takes between 60 to 90 minutes. The plate is ready to be picked up 45 minutes after we finish (a bit longer if you also order a printed reproduction).
What should I wear?
Anything you like and feel comfortable in, really. I would probably advise against wearing plain white as it gets overexposed easily, and also watch out for text and logos as those will be inverted in the final image. Any other color, patterns, accessories – go crazy! (Just note that collodion “sees” blue color the most and does not see red at all. This means anything blue will turn out very light and anything red will be black.)
Studio location
My studio is located in the historic centre of Prague, Malá Strana (the Lesser Side). The Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Lennon Wall, Petřín hill with its viewtower – all within a short walking distance. (I also live in the neighbourhood an know it quite well. I can give you local tips on things to do and places to see in Malá Strana.)
Can I bring other people with me?
Sure! I will be happy to include anyone you bring with you into the shot, as long as you can all fit in front of my camera. My current record is a group of 36 students in one image.
my cameras
What my clients say about me:
