Since 2010, I have been creating tintypes of musicians who play traditional American folk music in and around the Appalachian Mountains. I travel out to the homestead of each musician, and spend a full day or more with each musician, documenting their likeness, their instruments, and the landscape that they reside in. Each 8x10 tintype plate is hand coated, exposed in camera, and developed on-site. This music guides me visually – the portraits are traditional, with historical references, as the music is traditional. The tradition of American folk music echoes in the historic nature of the process I am using.
