about John Coffer part one

i’ll be posting notes, photos, and info over the next month about John Coffer as I prepare for his tintypes workshop. for anyone who doesn’t know, John lives in a handmade cabin outside of Rochester, NY without electricity or running water. he passes his time making tintypes… everyday. in the summer he offers workshops and throughout the year has work displayed in galleries. as far as I’m concerned, this man is THE definitive expert on wet plate photography. to dedicate your life to a craft the way Coffer has is really rare today, can’t wait to learn from this guy.

That’s the way it goes in large format photography, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. – from John Coffer’s manual

John Coffer, self portrait