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Stirring images of soldiers in Afghanistan captured in Civil War-style tintype

Ed Drew is a photographer, fine arts student, and staff sergeant in the California Air National Guard. He was deployed to Afghanistan for three months in 2013 and decided to commemorate the time by taking photos of his fellow service members using tintype, a Civil War-era technique. The resulting photos are emotional and gritty. President Barack Obama recently announced plans to pull all troops from Afghanistan by 2016. All photos are copyright Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco.

Civil War-style portraits of soldiers in Afghanistan

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Drew created the photos using tintype, a technique from the 1800s in which a positive image is created from chemicals on metal plates exposed to light. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)