This past weekend my wife (Freda) and I took a weekend trip to San Diego for our 15th wedding anniversary. We spent some time with friends in the area and visited Old Town. While taking in the sites at Old Town I walked through an open door in the Cosmopolitan Hotel saloon where Clem Segura was explaining the process of Collodion Photography to a customer. I listened in as he informed us the photographer (his daughter Catherine) would be back in a few minutes. After taking a look at the samples presented, I decided I had to have a tintype photograph with Freda. As I waited for Freda to get there, (she was off on her own shopping) I thought back to the old west days when cowboys sat for tintype photos with their weapons, (guns, knives, and rifles) with very serious looks on their faces. Thinking about those old photos I’d seen over the years I thought I’d do my version of the same pose except I’d hold my weapon of choice, the modern day image maker (my trusty go anywhere, shoot anything, Fujifilm x30 digital camera) as opposed to a widow maker.
It’s rare for me to show other photographers images on my site, but this photograph by Catherine Segura of C.A.S. Photography is outstanding!! This could be something we do each year on our anniversary! It was such a great experience, and we have a recorded memory that will last a lifetime! Although I have several digital cameras myself, it’s always refreshing to find someone like our photographer Catherine Segura of C.A.S. Photography who’s excited to be doing her old school craft and will walk you through the process from start to finish. It’s not instantaneous and that’s the best part of the process, it takes time!
If you’re like me, a person that loves anything photographic, both old and new, you’ll have a great time, and even people that are not photo nerds will love the process of having a photo created of themselves on a piece of treated tin on the spot without a digital camera or computer.
When you’re in Old Town San Diego stop by the Cosmopolitan Hotel! You won’t forget meeting Catherine and her father. They’re such a great team and Catherine’s excitement about creating a lasting memory of you, family and loved ones is contagious!
Here are all the places you can find Catherine and her work:
Tumblr: lapetitecossette.tumblr.com
500px : 500px.com/cas_photo
Instagram : cas_photo
