Wet Plate Portraits - Complimentary for Festival Authors

As part of this year’s Sydney Writers’ Festival, I’m offering all contributing authors a complimentary wet plate portrait session.

Using the historic wet plate collodion process, each portrait is hand-crafted on glass or aluminium - no pixels, no screens, no AI. Just time, light and a little alchemy.

Each participant will receive a complimentary digital file of their image for personal and social media use with the option to purchase the original plate if they wish.

Sessions are limited and will be scheduled throughout the festival.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/swf

Inspired by the romance and whimsy of the wildly popular souvenir portraits of the Victorian era…

Our moon returns to Sydney this Mother’s Day weekend.

Hand-crafted wet plate portraits, made the old fashioned way.

No screens. No pixels. No AI.
Just light, time and a little alchemy.

Limited to 2 people per plate.

Limited spots available.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/papermoon

Portrait sessions taking place over the ANZAC weekend.

Using the historic wet plate collodion process, each image is hand-crafted, producing a one-of-a-kind direct positive on glass or aluminium.

No screens, no pixels, no AI. Just light, time and a little alchemy.

You’ll experience the process as it happens, watching the image slowly emerge on the plate - a rare and captivating process few people ever get to witness today.

Each plate is unique, a one-of-a-kind heirloom designed to last for generations.

Portraits are limited to two people per plate.

Finished plates will be available for pickup or posted approximately one week after the session.

For best results, simple, timeless clothing is recommended. Layers and accessories - hats, scarves, and jackets photograph particularly well.

Prices start at $250, with upgrade options available.

Limited sessions available. Bookings essential.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/anzacweekend

While everyone else is hunting eggs -

Walk in, sit down and leave with something that outlasts chocolate.

No screens, no pixels, no retouching and no AI

Just craft, time and a little alchemy.

Timeless, unique, forever.

Wet Plate Portraits

This Easter Weekend

Sydney, Australia

Bookings recommended.

Walk-ins welcome

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/thiseaster

Priced for a 5x4 plate on glass or aluminium. Upgrades are available on the day. The plates will be available for pickup a week after the event.

Wet Plate Portrait Sessions

Art Deco Weekend · Napier

To mark the Art Deco Weekend in Napier, I’ll be offering a limited number of wet plate portrait sessions.

Be photographed in your finest 1920s / Art Deco attire using the historic wet plate collodion process - a handcrafted technique that produces one-of-a-kind portraits on metal or glass.

Sessions are suitable for individuals or couples, with a maximum of two people per plate. Finished plates are posted to you, with a digital scan included.

Very limited sessions. Bookings essential.

Bookimgs: https://events.humanitix.com/art-deco

This Valentine's Day Weekend, step in front of the camera and have your portrait made the old-fashioned way.

Hand crafted on glass or aluminium using a 19th-century photographic process.

Slow, Intentional, Unrepeatable.

Each plate is entirely unique.

Perfect for lovers, partners, Kindred spirits - or anyone wanting something timeless.

Bookings essential - limited sessions

https://events.humanitix.com/spreadthearoha

Analogue Aotearoa is a new festival celebrating film photography and alternative image-making, happening 1–2 November 2025 in the historic spa town of Te Aroha.

From 35mm to wet plate, cyanotypes to pinhole, join us for a weekend of exhibitions, workshops, photo walks, zines, talks, and hands-on creative play.

All ages and skill levels welcome — whether you're deep in the darkroom or just film-curious.

Want to be involved?
We’re inviting expressions of interest to:
– Exhibit your work
– Run a workshop or talk
– Host a stall or zine table
– Or simply attend and connect

👉 Register now at www.analogueaotearoa.com

We're also looking for NZ-based sponsors and supporters keen to help grow this homegrown celebration of analogue creativity. Let’s bring Aotearoa’s analogue community together — and honour the beauty of slow, hands-on image-making.

Wet plate collodion portrait sessions are coming to the newly reopened Te Whare o Rehua Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui this October. I will be inviting visitors to experience a 160-year-old photographic process in a stunning heritage setting. Each image is handmade on glass or metal, with a maximum of two people per plate. Plates are developed on-site and posted out about a week after the session. A rare opportunity to take home a one-of-a-kind piece of photographic history.

Bookings essential: https://events.humanitix.com/whanganui

Capture the Spirit of Raglan’s Jubilee – Wet Plate Portraits by Tintype Central

As part of the Harbour View Hotel’s spectacular 120th anniversary celebration—a once-in-a-generation, three-day festival of heritage, surf culture, music, and storytelling—I’ll be offering a rare chance to step in front of the camera for a portrait made using 1850s technology.

Crafted on glass or metal using silver and light, each wet plate portrait is a haunting, one-of-a-kind image—just like those taken around the time the hotel first opened its doors in 1905.

With thousands expected to attend and Raglan buzzing with vintage cars, live music, aviation flyovers, and a commemorative whiskey and rum release, it’s the perfect moment to mark this milestone with a portrait that will last generations.

Limited sessions. Max 2 people per plate. Finished plates posted the following week.

Bookings essential. https://events.humanitix.com/hbh

FOTOFEST 2025: Wet Plate Portrait Sessions
Step back in time and experience one of photography’s earliest and most captivating processes. As part of FOTOFEST 2025—Hawke’s Bay’s annual celebration of photography—I’ll be offering wet plate collodion portrait sessions in Napier and Hastings.

On Saturday, September 27, I’ll be at Creative Arts Napier (CAN), 16 Byron Street, Napier.
On Sunday, September 28, I’ll be at Arts Inc. Heretaunga, 106 Russell Street South, Hastings.

Each session captures a one-of-a-kind image on glass or metal using 1850s photographic techniques. Sessions are limited to 2 people per plate. Your finished plate will be carefully varnished and posted to you about a week later.

Come be part of this hands-on, historic experience—and take home a portrait like no other.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/fotofest25

Capture Timeless Portraits with a Historic Art Form.

Join us at The Arts House Trust in Auckland for a unique opportunity to experience the art of wet plate collodion photography.

Step back in time and become part of a living legacy as we create stunning, one-of-a-kind portraits using the same techniques from the 1850s. Each image is meticulously crafted on glass or aluminium plate, producing a tangible and timeless keepsake that echoes the deep cultural significance of the portraits showcased in the awards.

Plates will be posted to clients once varnished and cured, a week or so after their session.

The Portrait Sessions last 45 minutes and are limited to 2 people per plate.

Bookings: https://www.artshousetrust.co.nz/all-events/wet-plate-portrait-sessions-2025

Step into the past and take home a one-of-a-kind portrait.
Join me for a wet plate collodion portrait session at The Refinery in Paeroa, July 26–27. Using a photographic process from the 1850s, each portrait is handcrafted on glass or metal and developed before your eyes.

Your session includes a digital scan of your plate, and the original will be carefully varnished, cured, and posted to you about a week later.

While you’re there, enjoy The Refinery’s excellent food, coffee, and warm hospitality in one of Paeroa’s most creative spaces.
Bookings essential — limited spots available.

Book now! https://events.humanitix.com/july25

Honour your whānau. Create a taonga.

This Matariki, celebrate the Māori New Year with a handcrafted portrait made using the 1850s wet plate collodion process.

Matariki is a time to gather, reflect, and remember. It's a moment to honour those who came before us and cherish those beside us now. These portraits offer a beautiful way to mark the occasion—capturing your whānau in a one-of-a-kind image made by hand, using silver, light, and glass.

Whether it’s parents and tamariki, grandparents, siblings, or chosen whānau—these sessions are about connection and legacy.

✨ Each booking includes:

• One handcrafted wet plate portrait (glass or metal)

• A digital scan for sharing

• A 15% discount for all Matariki weekend sessions

Spaces are limited and fill quickly—book now to create your own taonga for the future.

Bookings: https://events.humanitix.com/heirlooms

On select days during the 2025 Auckland Festival of Photography, I will be crafting timeless portraits at Highwic using the wet plate collodion process, a 19th century method of development that predates film photography. Each image is hand crafted, producing an original direct-positive image on a sheet of glass or aluminium plate. 

The finished plates will be posted out to clients once varnished & cured, a week or so after their session. 

Sessions last 45 minutes and are limited to 2 people per plate.

To book a session please visit:

https://events.humanitix.com/aklfop

Just as Frank Hurley's Antarctic images have stood the test of time, these tintype portraits capture moments meant to last for generations through a 19th century method of development that predates film photography.

Each portrait session lasts 45 minutes and can include up to two people per session. You’ll receive one original tintype plate, along with a web-resolution digital copy. After the session, your plate will be carefully varnished and cured, then mailed to you within about a week.

Each portrait includes free entry to the museum and our current exhibition Into Ocean & Ice.

For bookings please visit

https://www.maritimemuseum.co.nz/events/frozen-in-time-tintype-portraits

Wet Plate Portraits in Kawhia – Honouring Whānau, History & Legacy

Kawhia holds deep significance as the final resting place of the great Tainui waka and remains a heartland of Māori heritage. A place of whakapapa, connection, and community, Kawhia has long been home to generations of whānau who carry its stories forward.

Now, you can capture your own legacy through the rare and beautiful art of wet plate collodion photography—a process dating back to the 1850s that creates one-of-a-kind metal plate portraits, just like those made in Aotearoa over 150 years ago.

Each plate is handcrafted, developing before your eyes, and will last for generations—a taonga for your whānau to treasure. Come alone, with whānau, or with friends and be part of this unique celebration of identity and history.

Limited spots available – Book now to secure your session!

This February, during Waitangi Weekend, Adrian Cook will be taking his mobile darkroom (a 1950's Bond-wood caravan) to Te Waimate Mission in the Bay Of Islands to craft timeless portraits using the wet plate collodion process, a 19th century method of development that predates film photography.

Using equipment and techniques developed during the 1850’s, the photographic plates are individually coated and sensitised in the darkroom before being exposed and developed while wet. Once fixed, washed and dried they are then coated in a gum sandarac varnish that preserves and protects them for generations.

Plates will be posted to clients once varnished & cured, a week or so after their session. Sessions last 45 minutes and are limited to 2 people per plate

Please book early to avoid disappointment as sessions are limited.