Some video from one of the most incredible experiences of my life making daguerreotypes from the roof of the dome of the U.S. Capitol Building for the Library of Congress and the U.S. Capitol: www.instagram.com/reel/DN6La3i...

Some of my recent work exploring the early work of daguerreotypist Robert Cornelius for the Library of Congress: www.instagram.com/p/DNyftyYZFCp

Daguerreotype of the same snake plant from the last post, made several months later after it had unbraided itself. Here, the plate has just been gilded (gold chloride) and is unsealed with edges still bent down (helps the plate grab onto my polishing block). #daguerreotype #photography #artist

Contemporary daguerreotype of a braided snake plant. Made by iodizing and then brominating a silver plate, exposing, developing in fumes of hot mercury, and then chemically gilding in gold. Pure alchemy. #daguerreotype #artist #photographer

Not sure where I’ll land but using my last bit of energy to try out Foto App. Photo people find me there: the.fotoapp.co/fragomeni

Homemade camera obscura. Originally completed mid-2022, shortly thereafter deconstructed and cut into scrap and parts for another project. Then all pieces and parts re-salvaged and reconstructed in April 2024. The reconstructed camera was then used during my artist talk series at the Getty in 2024.

Daguerreotype mobile lab camper build is moving along nicely. I’ve completed exterior repairs and the re-coating of epoxy which has really brought it back to life. The redwood frame and hydrotech marine plywood structure all remain in great shape under the fiberglass epoxy layers.

Workshop update: I am beyond excited to finally be working on the build of my mobile daguerreotype lab. Lots of work but this will enable me to travel and make daguerreotypes across the US. I’ll drop some updates now and then and will likely later produce a YouTube video detailing the full build.

A 122 year old Conley Silent Shutter (which is anything but silent). Originally developed so photographers could expose without the sitter being startled and consequently stiffening up or inadvertently moving. This one is still in use today in my studio. Seen here on a Kodak Century #9 8x10 camera.

On left is the Aero Ektar from the previous post. On the right is a rare non-thorium version that the Harvard Observatory was commissioned to make during a period when thorium could not be obtained. The standard lens weighs 1644g. Harvard version is 2239g. Thorium glass reduced weight by over 30%.

I’m Francesco Fragomeni, a photographic artist & researcher specializing in 19th century photographic processes with a focus on daguerreotype, Bayard direct positive, calotype and salted paper, collodion variations, and albumen. I also build and restore cameras. I share about my work and process.

This Kodak Aero Ektar was left sitting partially in water for a very long time. The submerged portions were completely oxidized to the point of crumbling. After complete disassembly and days of deep cleaning, the main lens assembly and optics not only survived but now work perfectly. #lensporn

Random thought. If photography was invented say a few thousand years ago, what is the single moment or event in history you would most like to see a photograph of?

FYI, accounts are being added to nonsense lists/ block lists that are being created by users who are either confused or bad actors. I have found my account on such lists as well. Instead of blindly blocking an entire list, consider going through the list and individually choosing who to block.

Question for lovers of photography: Whether a household name or a relatively obscure or unknown one, if you had to pick one photographer’s name to scream from the rooftops so that everyone in the world could benefit from knowing their work, who would it be? #photographers #poll

My wife snapped this very noir-ish photo of me working a few nights ago. I dig it. #photography #studiovisit #camera

Why I have a bad back… #photography #cameras #largeformatphotography

I’d like to tap the collective mind. Please list 1-2 photographs or bodies of work that you feel represent the most striking and/or important examples of still life photographs of all time. Please try not to repeat those already listed. I’ll start in a follow up post. #photography #stilllife

Astronomers, can you please recommend a quality 1.25” illuminated reticle eyepiece? Quality and clarity being priority but also hopefully not breaking the bank. #astronomy #telescope

This was a progress shot during construction of the 20x24. It’s since been disassembled while I work out another round of changes. #photography #cameras #camerabuilding #woodworking #largeformatphotography

Astronomy folks, does Celestron Support eventually reply? Emailed them 3 days ago but no reply yet.

20x24 camera vs front door #camera #whenitdoesntfit

This is one of my favorite photographs of me at work. It dates from my time living in NYC and is an image of me shooting with my 11x14 Deardorff in a wine cellar in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan. Photo by Stephen Pile. #cameras #Tribeca #photography #cameraporn #photographer #Deardorff

Throwback to when I had hair and used to shoot 11x14 on the streets in Manhattan. #cameras #deardorff #NYC #largeformatphotography

#Darkroom vibes.

Me and my homemade 20x24 camera. I build cameras from time to time but this is the first giant camera I built a few years ago. I designed it around the existing spring back and matching film holder which I had leftover from a restoration project from years back. #camera #cameraporn #photography

One of my favorite daguerreotype portraits. The colors are one of the miracles & mysteries of the process and occur naturally when silver crystals, which form at different sizes and refract light differently, are accentuated by the gold deposited when gilding. #daguerreotype #portrait #photography

Prepping daguerreotype plates takes days. First copper is cut & polished until smooth & reflective, then electroplated with pure silver. The silver must then be painstakingly hand polished to a perfect mirror before even thinking about sensitizing. #daguerreotype #photography #darkroom #process

From my project investigating early astrophotography. Left: the oldest astro-photograph— an astro-daguerreotype made by John William Draper, 1840. Right: one of my tests aiming to reproduce the halo surrounding the moon in the original. #astrophotography #historyofphotography #daguerreotype

Gotta love a pretty chemical. Usually when they’re pretty they want to kill you. Not in this case though. This is Ferrous sulfate heptahydrate, known by the chemical formula FeSO4.7H2O. It’s an iron-based compound used in early photographic developing formulas. #photography #darkroom #lab #chemical

Here’s how the botanicals I shared previously came together to become one piece. They’re housed together as a diptych to create an abstract form. The housing is prepared in the French style with black painted paper passé partouts and sealed within glazings. #daguerreotype #botanical #photography

Darkroom vibes

Daguerreotype of the same snake plant from the last post, made several months later after it had unbraided itself. Here, the plate has just been gilded (gold chloride) and is unsealed with edges still bent down (helps the plate grab onto my polishing block). #daguerreotype #photography #artist

Contemporary daguerreotype of a braided snake plant. Made by iodizing and then brominating a silver plate, exposing, developing in fumes of hot mercury, and then chemically gilding in gold. Pure alchemy. #daguerreotype #artist #photographer