From Stage to Silver: How Improv in Nashville Shaped My Tintype Photography
Before I Was a Tintype Photographer, I Was On Stage
Long before I started pouring collodion on glass plates or composing portraits in natural light, I was performing unscripted comedy with a group of wildly talented people in Nashville.
For over a decade, I was a regular cast member with Music City Improv and Improv Nashville, performing live shows across the city. It was unpredictable, messy, and electric. Every performance was different, every moment unrepeatable, and I loved it.
Improv taught me to listen carefully, stay present, and respond in real time. You couldn’t fake it. You had to commit to the moment, no matter how absurd or honest it was. There was no script. No retakes. Just connection.
I Didn’t Know It Then, But That Was Photography Training
When I first discovered tintype photography, something clicked. Not just in the camera, but in me.
There’s a strange overlap between live improv and wet plate photography:
Both are unpredictable
Both reward being fully present
Both ask you to let go of perfection and embrace what’s real
When I make a tintype portrait, I’m not chasing flawlessness. I’m chasing something true. Just like on stage, I'm looking for the moment that feels alive. The slight shift of a hand, the softness in the eyes, the weight of someone simply existing in front of the lens.
Tintype Is Honest, Like Improv Was Honest
There is no retouching, no smoothing, no filters. A tintype shows what the light saw. It doesn’t judge. It reveals.
That rawness is what I loved about improv. It’s also what I love about photography.
Whether you’re in front of an audience or a camera, it takes trust to be seen.
A New Stage, A Different Kind of Audience
These days, I work from my home studio in Franklin, Tennessee, creating tintype portraits for clients across Nashville and the surrounding area. My tools look a little different now: An antique camera, silver nitrate, a darkroom instead of a spotlight. But the heart of the work is the same.
Though I perform a very different kind of work now as a Nashville photographer, the improvisational spirit still guides every portrait session.
Every person who steps in front of my lens brings something unique. Just like every show I ever performed, no two sessions are alike. And that's exactly how I want it.
If you’ve found this site while looking for Music City Improv, you’re still in the right place. It’s just a different act.
You can read more about those years right here.
Curious What It’s Like to Sit for a Tintype?
If you're ready to experience the process firsthand, book a session here, or learn more about how tintypes are made in this step-by-step guide.
I would love to create something with you that’s honest, expressive, and entirely yours. Just like a good scene always was.