What is the best way to reproduce Daguerreotypes?
The most difficult part in reproducing daguerreotypes is keeping the mirror-like reflection down so you don’t see the camera being reflected (on ambrotypes and tintypes this is not as much of a problem). The simplest way is to take a piece of cardstock about 10″ square, cover it with black velvet or velveteen and then cut out a hole in the center to stick the lens through. This is assuming you have a copystand or at least a tripod, as well as a close-up lens. If you do not, any good photographer should be able to photograph the image(s) for you. Here in Pittsburgh one of our major department stores has a photo studio in their big downtown store that has been offering such a copying service for many years and are probably experienced with daguerreotypes. You might try your area. An alternative method would be to scan the image on a computer. They often turn out dark but, using a graphics program like Photoshop, they can be lightened up. To do this you may wish to remove the image from t
