tintype

Skilled in tintype photography, Mills has leaned into her hobby since Jan. 7, using a pair of cameras she was given and whatever nervous energy she has to head out into the community, shooting pictures of Altadenans with the structures they’ve lost.

Around since the 1850s, tintype photography captures a still image on a thin metal plate coated with dark lacquer or enamel.

Mills takes the photos with her Burke & James Watson 5x7 camera — given to her after the fires by some friends who also dabble in tintype photography — asking subjects to stand still for just one second while she snags the shot.

When her friend and tintype mentor came to town, the pair went to Mills’ old property to poke around.

“There’s just a soul in tintype photos that really isn’t captured in any other medium,” Mills asserts.