today only a handful of specialists create daguerreotype here dr. Mike Robinson makes a portrait using his own version of the technique a [Music] daguerreotype starts with a silver-coated copper plate which is buffed for a few minutes to produce a mirror-like surface the plate is placed facedown in two boxes filled with iodine and then bromide which reacts with the silver to make the plate sensitive to light after a few minutes the places were moved and any specks of dust are blown away the sensitized plate is slotted into a holder for a camera setting up the camera
for a portrait takes time working under a black cloth makes it easier to see the subject through the lens to focus the image the sitter must remain completely still while the daguerreotype is made or the image will be blurry once the focus is set the wooden holder containing the plate is loaded into the camera the photograph is taken by removing the lens cap to let light in exposures can take between five and sixty seconds when enough time is passed the lens cap is put back on to stop the exposure the plate still inside its holder
is now taken out of the camera at this point the image is still invisible or latent to start the developing process and bring out the image the places exposed to mercury fumes in another safe purpose-built box the developed plate is removed from the box it now needs to be flexed to prevent the image from disappearing fixing the image with the type of salt sodium thiosulfate washes away any remaining light-sensitive silver stopping it from reacting with daylight once all the silver has dissolved the plate is rinsed with distilled water to remove the fixing solution next to
improve the stability and contrast of the daguerreotype a solution of gold chloride is mixed and poured over the plate the plate is heated to warm the solution and bring out the different tones in the image a final rinse washes off any excess gold chloride lastly the plate is heated again to dry it [Music] [Music] you
