WE SPECIALISE IN TRADITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
​​​PORTRAITS
Well Lit Photo Club take traditional portraiture on the road, documenting heritage as it happens, capuring people on vintage photo papers, wherever we go.
Paper Negatives are one of
 the earliest forms of photography, a process dating back
 to the 1840s. Each exposure is taken on photo sensitive paper and hand developed in the darkroom.
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Large Format cameras require a more relaxed approach to portraiture. Focussing and framing is an unhurried process that encourages stillness, trust, and collaboration, often resulting in more honest and emotionally resonant portraits.
Sinar Norma 4x5 Camera from 1947
Instead of using film our portraiture is taken on photographic paper.
 Photo paper is different to film because it has much less sensitivity to light. That means images require longer exposures or really strong studio flash. This is why our paper negatives capture skin with those same deep, rich tones of wet plate collodion and tintype photography.
We use vintage, mostly discontinued photo papers, some of them are over 75 years old. Each style of paper has unique characteristics with every portrait feeling more like an artistic interpretation than a conventional photograph. Flaws such as light leaks, scuffs, and blown out edges become part of the unpredictable charm of the image.
We have over 100 different rare photographic papers so each portraiture shoot becomes a time travelling experiment, always full of wonderful suprises.
PORTRAITURE FOR FAMILIES
Our large format paper negative portraiture creates heirloom family art capturing multiple generations - parents, grandparents, children - in stunning, historic detail. Each unique print is a tangible legacy, a centerpiece of family history captured with the depth and soul of a classical painting with prints available up to A2 size.
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Our pop up studio means we can come to you to make your portraiture session a real family affair.
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Our mobile darkroom gives you the opportunity to develop your own portrait!
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READY TO CREATE A FAMILY HEIRLOOM?
