Steampunk Victoriana Fair, Goulburn 2025 — The Magic of Tintype Photography

October 18, 2025

At this year’s Steampunk Victoriana Fair in Goulburn, I assisted my friend and fellow photographer Boris Frantskevich in his Tintype Portrait Tent — a place where true 19th-century photographic magic came alive.

Boris created portraits using the original wet plate collodion process, the same method used over 170 years ago. Each image was captured on a metal plate coated with real silver, exposed through an antique camera, and developed right before the clients’ eyes. Watching the image appear in the developer tray felt like witnessing alchemy — a genuine Victorian miracle.

Tintype portrait tent at the Steampunk Victoriana Fair Goulburn, photographed by Maria Poleshchuk.

Boris Frantskevich and Tintype portrait tent at the Steampunk Victoriana Fair Goulburn, photographed by Maria Poleshchuk.

Boris Frantskevich is developing a tintype plate using the wet plate collodion process, photographed by Maria Poleshchuk.

Visitor posing for a tintype portrait at the Tintype Portrait Tent, Goulburn Fair, photographed by Maria Poleshchuk.

My role was to assist clients during the session and to photograph the process and the visitors with my modern digital camera, Canon R5 — creating a visual dialogue between past and present.

The result is a collection of portraits that merge eras: Boris’s tintypes, unique and hand-crafted on metal plates, and my digital portraits, inspired by the same timeless Victorian atmosphere.

Below you can see my photographs from the event — modern portraits in the spirit of 19th-century tintype art, taken at the Steampunk Victoriana Fair 2025 in Goulburn.

Modern digital portrait in Victorian tintype style, photographed by Maria Poleshchuk at Goulburn Fair.

A bridge between eras — modern portraiture inspired by Boris Frantskevich’s tintype art.

Inside the Tintype Portrait Tent — where 19th-century photography comes to life.

Visitor posing for a tintype portrait at the Tintype Portrait Tent

For me, this experience was deeply personal. I fell in love with photography as a child, developing film in a tiny darkroom at home — and here, at the fair, I found myself surrounded by the same enchanting chemistry and silver light that first inspired me.

Maria Poleshchuk, Sydney-based photographer

Creators:

Tintype portraits: Boris Frantskevich www.instagram.com/fineskevich/
Digital photography: Maria Poleshchuk www.instagram.com/maria_poleshchuk.ph/
Event: Steampunk Victoriana Fair 2025
Location: Goulburn, NSW, Australia
Genre: Tintype Photography, Wet Plate Collodion, Portrait, Steampunk, Vintage Photography
Website URL: steampunkvictorianafair.com.au