The looking glass

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.