“People often refer to the results [of tintype photography] as somehow capturing the person’s ‘soul’ or something about the person that seems to come from within,” says BYU professor Paul Adams. “There are certain visual qualities that work well in a tintype portrait. Because the camera records light that we don’t actually see, the resulting image is an interpretation of the person we are unable see with our physical eyes.”
Tintype photography, although a method typical of the Civil War Era, is far from outdated. It’s a unique way to capture a portrait, and one that Adams is familiar with. Most recently, he and three of his students have made BYU President Kevin J. Worthen the subject of a portrait.
“Often times when I hear President Worthen speak in formal settings I have been impressed by his sharp intellect, but more importantly I am impressed with how he allows himself to be vulnerable,” says Adams. “I think that is unique and courageous for someone in a position of authority. I was confident that by recording this ethereal light, my students and I could use the tintype process to create a portrait of President Worthen unlike any previously created of him, and unlike any other university president for that matter.”
Aside from being a unique project, the project was an incredible experiential learning opportunity for students Sara Anderson, Parker Elderidge, and Sarah Robinson. Tintype photography, as President Worthen describes in an August 2020 BYU devotional describing the project, is a “wicked environment” and to work with this medium, students had to learn to adapt in a way they wouldn’t have with any other photography style.
Along with the difficulties of tintype come the special characteristics. The photograph highlights aspects of President Worthen that most portraits don’t, including his vulnerability and humanity, while maintaining his directness and dignity. “The timing of the portrait also proved to be impactful,” says Adams. “The photograph was made during protests on campus and just several weeks before the entire campus had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I think the portrait displays some of the stress and weight that inherently accompanies the job. I hope the portrait captures President Worthen as a human being and not just a representation of authority, and as a human being, he requires the same grace afforded to anyone else.”
The portrait will be on display at the Woodmere Museum in Philadelphia in 2022 as one of the 4% of photographs chosen in the Photo Review 37th annual international photo competition.
Paul Adams is the current area head of the Photo- and Lens- Based Design program. Adams has his work featured in the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., the Royal Photographic Society, the Moscow International Foto Awards, the London International Creative Competition, and the International Kontinent awards in Izmir, Turkey. His current area of research focuses on alternative photographic processes and digital technologies.
