Meet Dylan Burr | Tintype Photobooth

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dylan Burr and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dylan, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I have been creating tintypes for over 8 years now. They are very rewarding but extremely laborious, costly, and have some adverse health effects. I wanted to find a way to be authentic, faster, and safer with authenticity being the key. It is crucial to use the same large format lenses from the late 1800’s. That is what makes the images special.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
What I love about my tintype photobooth is connecting with people. What makes my process different from any other “vintage” type photobooth is that I am actually using cameras and lenses from the 1870’s to the 1900’s. It’s not a digital camera set on auto inside an old box camera and then sepia-toned. It’s the real deal and people can immediately tell from the resulting images. I love sharing where I found all the gear, how it works, the history and my connection to it. Was it easy? No. It definitely took some abstract thinking and lots of testing to figure it out. At first, you couldn’t even tell I was using old equipment. It looked too usual and normal. I wasn’t able to capture what makes large-format photography special. So I kept tinkering. Different lenses, different capture, and my physical distance from the subject. I have learned many lessons from this but the largest would be to keep working at it while holding onto your main goal. For me, that was creating authentic tintypes that LOOK like they are supposed to and not some Instagram filter. People can tell the difference. What I want people to know about is the amazing response I’ve received at the events I have photographed recently. Everyone is super intrigued and wants to work together to make a really good portrait. I don’t have to explain how this is different or special. They get it without a word. They are a great gift for guests and hold far more value than a “traditional” photobooth strip with goofy props.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I were showing a friend around Colorado, I would take them to Meow Wolf, hit up some great breweries like 4 Noses, Ratio Beerworks, Weldworks, some whiskey at Laws Whiskey House and Leopold, visit Swaylos in Longmont, get to the mountains and go skiing or hiking, and some mountain disc golf.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
A few years ago, I created the Neighbours Project. A documentary and tintype photo series in partnership with The St. Francis Center. They deserve a shoutout for making connections and allowing me to document the people they serve every day. Also oddly enough, Tincup Whiskey. They contacted me about doing a tintype photobooth for a convention booth and it just wasn’t feasible as an experience for attendees… which got me to thinking…. How do I maintain the unique character and authenticity, but remove the obstacles to have a successful event? I finally figured it out and I am still constantly tweaking to make it better.

Website: https://denverwetplate.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dylanburr_tintypes/

Image Credits
Credit to Dylan Burr and https://denverwetplate.com/