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Meet Kevin Banker of Revival Photographic in Minturn

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Banker.

Kevin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started my company about three years ago, and at that time it was just an idea. “How can I still be a photographer and go back to the patience and craft of film photography, without shooting film?”, I thought to myself. The industry has been filled with the ideas of “More, Faster, Cheaper”, and I was even thinking about getting out of an industry I had been in for almost 20 years. That’s when I saw a video called “Silver and Light” by Ian Ruhter. He was going through a similar lull and found Wet Plate Collodion Photography to be his saving grace.

Shortly after I saw this short film, I found a workshop with Quinn Jacobson in Aurora that I was able to attend to try out this process of photography that was more like alchemy than anything. When I saw my first plate come to life in the darkroom, I was hooked. It took twelve minutes to create one image, and an image I completely crafted by hand. I was like a kid in a candy store.

Over the next few months, I worked to save up money for an 8×10 Chamonix Large-format camera, and the chemistry needed to start making my own plates. I turned our guest room into a dark room and the guest bath into my wash station. My girlfriend was extremely supportive and still is today.

After shooting for about a year and a half in our home, it was time to get a studio. Nobody is doing this photographic process in my town or area, so I felt it could be a great thing for the tourists coming to Vail to do that is different from anything else. I’m creating family heirlooms, actual wall hanger original photographs on Metal and Glass Plates.

This March, I was able to lease the Battle Mountain Trading Post, a wonderful historic building on Main St in Minturn. I spent two months building out the space and revamping it with its own darkroom and shooting studio, as well as gallery and store. My goal with the space is for it to be a place to sell and showcase local artists and makers work, as well as being the area’s only Tintype and Ambrotype Photo Studio.

Now, it’s open and time together with the name out there and start creating Fine Art and One of a Kind Photographs, using a Historic Process in a Historic Location.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Its been far from a smooth road. This process of photography is all chemically based, so it is expensive to produce. It’s also very fickle to temperature and time when shooting images, so sometimes they don’t turn out as I would like.

One of my biggest struggles is getting customers to see how unique these photographs are. Nothing looks or feels quite like a Tintype or Ambrotype. Also, the building I’m in has a 40-year reputation for being an antique shop, and a lot of people that come in want it to still be that, even though the antique shop closed down over a year ago. It’s not easy changing a dynasty. Really, I just need to keep getting the word out that there is something new here, something original and amazing. Something that plays on the historical value of both the process and the town that it is in.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Revival Photographic – what should we know?
Revival Photographic is a photographic company that specializes in Wet Plate Collodion Photography. Widely known as Tintype, images shot into metal plates, or Ambrotype, images shot onto glass.

It was the original portrait photography developed back in the mid-1800s, and we are using all the same chemistry and processes, down to the old brass lenses. The only modern spin we put on it is that we use high powered strobe lights, to capture images in an instant rather than having to sit still for 6 to 20 seconds depending on sunlight strength.

What I am particularly proud of this company is that it has been born out of my two original loves in High School, which are chemistry and art. I kind of feel like an alchemist, creating an entirely new substance out of a few chemicals.

I feel what sets Revival Photographic apart from others is that I have an extensive background in photography and lighting, so my work almost looks commercial vs. typical portraiture, and thats where I see my work going, big and bold.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
The quality I see as most important to my success is that I am a consummate professional. I’ll always make sure work is up to my standards before I hand it over, and my standards are very high. Sometimes, it means doing a few shots before its right, but patience is key with this process, and it pays off big time.

Pricing:

  • 4×5 Tintype $80 : 5×7 Tintype $120 : 8×10 Tintype $160
  • 4×5 Tintype Session $200 : 5×7 Tintype Session : $350 : 8×10 Tintype Session $500
  • 4×5 Ambrotype $160 : 5×7 Ambrotype $240 : 8×10 Ambrotype $320
  • 4×5 Ambrotype Session $400 : 5×7 Ambrotype Session : $700 : 8×10 Ambrotype Session $1000
  • 11×14 & 16×20 Formats coming soon

Contact Info:


Image Credit:
Kevin Banker/Revival Photographic

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