A little Daguerrotype or Ambro Help again???

Hi again.....I have an extremely POOR quality Dag or Ambro, that I found if held an a strange angle, you can sort of see it.....I would like to see if I can get a half-way decent shot of it......just using my phone and no flash......have already gotten a couple, but a lot of reflection in them.....any help experts?????

 

You need to change what is reflecting if it is a problem. Try a plain white background and then a plain black. Hold it where it shows in the reflection.

 

Thanks Terry.....worth a try.......I believe it's definitely a daguerreotype ......shines like a mirror almost any direction it's held.....I don't suppose there's any way to restore it (?).....but would at least like to get as much of a decent picture of it as I can.......I want to post the ones I have identified and dated to my Ancestry site!

 

Sounds like a daguerreotype to me. I don't know what the damage is, but there are professionals who will do this for a fee. I have never had a damaged one repaired, but did have the glass cleaned by a professional on a dag that I did not want to take apart. And it looks so much clearer now that the cover glass was cleaned!

If this is a photo of a relative, you may want to make the investment to have it restored, if that is possible.

About taking photos of them, I'm not extremely good at it but have found that if I wear a long-sleeved top that is completely black, that helps. There are avid collectors who have more elaborate camera setups. One of them uses a black card with a hole cut in it for the camera lens, and they also use raking light (light coming from slightly above and to the side). And they use two lights, one on each side. I have not set it up like that, but considered it. Also, even if you wear a black sweater your hands, or anything of another color, will reflect in a dag's surface. Sometimes if you take it from a slight angle that might help.

I'm not the greatest photographer of daguerreotypes but usually can get a somewhat visible one that might be adequate for your purposes.

 

Thanks SO much Fig as well!! That's exactly the kind of information I needed to know!!! I really would love to find a restorer in the central MA area, but that's secondary at this point!! It's the only one in this bad condition!! You ROCK!!

 

Aquitaine, the people who cleaned the glass on mine are located in New Hampshire... so maybe not too far away?

http://www.finedags.com/

They have a good reputation, but I know that there are others who are very good.

Click on Dag Restoration on the left side of the page to see some explanation and examples.

 

Fig!! Awesome, will definitely do!!!! And THANKS again!!!!!!

Edit: WOW!! If not a trip.....He's going to get some to fix!!!! His work looks to be AMAZING!!!!!