18 Jan
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, PRINTING PROCESSES, Zebra Dry Plates

Beautiful glass Ambrotypes without a camera?! A complete Guide to Contact Printing positives on glass (VIDEO)

This project started with a simple but meaningful intention: to create deeply personal Christmas gifts from photographs that already existed. Instead of making new images with a camera, we chose to translate old family photographs onto glass, creating ambrotype-style positives using Zebra glass dry plates. What makes this process special is that no camera is used at any stage. The image is recreated entirely through scanning, tonal preparation, contact printing, chemistry, and optics. It is a slow, deliberate process rooted in 19th-century photographic principles, adapted carefully for modern materials. Below is the full, exact workflow we used.   What You need to Get Started Source...

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02 Nov
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, Zebra Dry Plates

 A New and Probably the Cheapest Way to Make Silver Gelatin Emulsion: Elio’s Story and Full Step-by-Step Tutorial

Every once in a while, a story finds its way into my inbox and quietly reminds me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. It happened again when a young photographer named Elio reached out to share an idea he had been working on. He had discovered a way to make silver halides using only materials found at home. There was no silver nitrate involved, no specialized equipment, only the wish to understand photography at its most fundamental level and to bring the process within reach for anyone who shares the same fascination. As we exchanged messages,...

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20 Aug
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, KICKSTARTER, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Zebra Lab Update: Tank Update, Golden Plates, Faster Emulsions?

The holidays are behind us, and while most people were winding down, things at the Zebra workshop were busier than ever. It’s the perfect moment to give you a big update on what we’ve been up to these past weeks. Daylight Processing Tanks – Redesigned and Ready First things first: WOW. We’re still blown away by the incredible support of more than 500 backers who joined us on the Zebra Daylight Processing Tank campaign. Your encouragement and feedback are what keep this project alive and evolving. We listened closely to your ideas, and many of them shaped the improvements we’ve been working...

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02 Jul
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

From Shipping Container to Darkroom Factory: The New Darkroom in Action

In the last blog, I wrapped up most of the darkroom essentials, furniture, sink, safelights, and more. With those foundations in place, it was finally time to move everything from my tiny shipping container darkroom into the spacious new Zebra Factory darkroom. It’s been a long time coming! The move wasn’t exactly light work. Chemicals, photographic paper, dark bags, stickers, labware, you name it, I made several trips back and forth. The old darkroom will now be repurposed into a raw plate storage and cleaning unit, which is much needed as our raw plate stock has grown massively over the last...

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17 Jun
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Daylight Film Development for Large Format Photographers – 900% Funded on Kickstarter

Just two weeks into our Kickstarter campaign for the Zebra Daylight Processing Tank, we’re thrilled to share that we’ve surpassed 900% funding, with more than 400 backers supporting this project from around the world. This overwhelming response confirms what we’ve seen growing for years: the analog photography community is alive, thriving, and eager for tools that remove unnecessary barriers while keeping the hands-on, tactile process we all love. We're deeply grateful for every pledge, message, and word of encouragement. You're not just backing a product you're helping shape the future of analog photography. No Darkroom? No Problem. The idea behind the Zebra Daylight...

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11 Jun
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Maximising Your Darkroom Space: Darkroom Sink Installation, Ventilation and LED Safelights

It has been a whirlwind few weeks here at the Zebra workshop, packed with exciting developments and challenging projects. Between finalizing the new darkroom and launching our second Kickstarter campaign, it's been intense, rewarding, and truly inspiring. Kickstarter Success Exceeding Expectations First off, a heartfelt thanks to our incredible community. Our second Kickstarter campaign for the Zebra Daylight Processing Tanks has been a resounding success, reaching over 800% funding with nearly 400 photographers backing the project. This overwhelming support highlights the genuine need for versatile, user-friendly analog photography solutions. Our tanks offer modular processing options for various formats, including popular sizes like...

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14 May
DARKROOM BUILD, DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, OTHER, Zebra Dry Plates

Building Professional Darkroom: Flooring, Painting, Ventilation, Lighting & Layout

It’s time for another update—and honestly, this one feels pretty special. After so many months of groundwork and invisible progress, the new Zebra darkroom is finally starting to look and feel real. I can walk through the space now and actually imagine working in it. It’s happening! Tiling, Sealing, and Treating It Like a Bathroom One of the biggest milestones lately was finishing the tile flooring throughout the darkroom. This was a key step for me, especially around the sink area, which will be used constantly. I decided early on to build this part of the darkroom like a bathroom—properly sealed and...

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17 Apr
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, PRINTING PROCESSES, Zebra Dry Plates

Turning Negatives into Golden Positives – How to Make Orotones with Zebra Dry Plates

Technique documented by Tom Lee (UK) This project started with a simple but meaningful intention: to create deeply personal Christmas gifts from photographs that already existed. Instead of making new images with a camera, we chose to translate old family photographs onto glass, creating ambrotype-style positives using Zebra glass dry plates. What makes this process special is that no camera is used at any stage. The image is recreated entirely through scanning, tonal preparation, contact printing, chemistry, and optics. It is a slow, deliberate process rooted in 19th-century photographic principles, adapted carefully for modern materials. Below is the full, exact workflow we used. What...

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24 Feb
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, Zebra Dry Plates

Coating Ultra-Large Plates: Expert Tips and Techniques

I’m often asked whether coating ultra-large plates, like the impressive 20×24-inch pieces, is significantly harder than working with smaller ones. The answer? Both yes and no. When you move up to this scale, every step of the process demands greater precision, patience, and practice. Spreading emulsion evenly across such a vast surface isn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Using a syringe coating technique, for instance, often means stopping to refill your emulsion cup three or four times while keeping the plate perfectly level to prevent spills. The weight of a large glass plate can actually help stabilize it with your fingers, as...

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19 Feb
DARKROOM CHEMISTRY, EMULSION, PRINTING PROCESSES, Zebra Dry Plates

The Art of Contact Printing on Zebra Dry Plate Tintypes

Adrian Anderson has been using Zebra Dry Plates for quite some time now, and he absolutely loves them. While he plans to use a camera to expose them eventually, the cost of large-format photography has led him to explore an alternative approach: contact printing. This method allows him to produce beautiful positive plates using digital images, and I want to take a moment to appreciate Adrian Anderson’s invaluable contribution to this process. His meticulous research and experimentation have provided a solid foundation for anyone looking to try this technique. Thanks to Adrian’s work, it’s clear that you don’t need an...

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