The looking glass

Have you ever looked at photos of your grandparents and wondered why modern photography techniques can’t replicate their mystique…

Have you ever looked at photos of your grandparents and wondered why modern photography techniques can’t replicate their mystique? Now you can thanks to the glass-plate technique being used by photographer and film and documentary cameraman, Alex Sapienza, a native of Rome living in Dublin. He has resurrected the art of glass-plate portraiture last used in Dublin when James Joyce was sitting for his first portrait as an artist.

Joyce referenced the glass-plate process of Dublin portrait photographer, James Lafayette in Ulysses, noting how: "The inspired pencil of Lafayette has limned for ages yet to come". The Analogue Studio is on South William Street in Dublin 2. Portraits start from €70. Fans include Brendan Courtney, pictured right, Gavin Friday and Republic of Telly's Jennifer Maguire See theanaloguestudio.ie, tel: 087-265 3814.