Filed under:
Civil War-style portraits of soldiers in Afghanistan
-
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)
-
The subjects had to remain completely still for six to ten seconds while Drew exposed the chemicals. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)
-
Each photo took about 40 minutes to make. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)
-
The chemicals dried fast in the heat, which made it easy to make a mistake and destroy the photo, Drew said. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)
-
This is Drew's favorite portrait, of his copilot. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)
-
Drew served as an aerial gunner on a search and rescue helicopter. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)
-
The plates were all made between combat missions. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)
-
Drew said he created the series after his second son was born, because he wanted to preserve the memories for the soldiers' families. (Image © Ed Drew courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery, San Francisco)
