THESE may look like faces from centuries gone by, but the incredible photographs were all taken in the past week.

The eerie black and white portraits were taken by Brighton photojournalist Sean Hawkey using a 143-year-old camera and Victorian techniques.

The globe-trotting snapper will set up his mobile darkroom and laboratory alongside his antique lights and equipment in the city for a summer exhibition.

The camera, made in 1872, requires light exposure of between five and 15 seconds before a picture can be captured.

While much more time-consuming than modern digital photography, Mr Hawkey, pictured below, said the results provided “unique” and “intense” portraits. The 49-year-old is known for his work with Victorian technology and he notably produced a collection of photos at the Sortrami silver mine in Peru.

He even used silver mined at the site for the photographic plates as he captured pictures of the miners.

He said: “This technique gives a very unique aesthetic. The long exposures capture more of the essence of people, a deeper insight into the person’s character.

“It is unlike the modern photography like selfies, where people can keep up an appearance. You get a clearer view of the person underneath and you can see that in the pictures – you get intense and deep portraits.

“Everyone has a face they put on for photographs, with this style of photography you get behind what people would like to see.”

Refurbishing the lens cost Mr Hawkey £1,000 and the metal plates for the large-format camera weigh three stone alone.

The cameraman does not yet have a location but plans to set up his pop-up booth, the Tintype Portrait Studio, in the city. He also hopes to build a portfolio of the faces of Brighton for a future exhibition.

He set up shop in Brighton’s Vine Street Vintage Market last Thursday and captured the haunting portraits.

He said: “Doing it is a bit like time travel. It takes you back to all the early techniques. The lens I am using is from 1872 and I have photographs taken by that lens from 140 years ago.

“It connects you with history and I find it fascinating looking at the earliest photographs.”

The photographer has been exhibited all over the world and has carried out work for organisations such as Greenpeace, the United Nations and humanitarian campaigners the ACT Alliance.

FACTFILE

THE world’s earliest surviving photograph was taken in 1826 or 1827 and is entitled View From The Window At Le Gras.

Cameras in the early 1800s had exposure times which often lasted hours.

The earliest known photograph to contain a person was a picture of a Paris Louis Daguerre, taken in 1838. The number of photographs taken every two minutes today is the same as the number of pictures taken throughout the entire 19th century.

It is estimated we have taken 3.8 trillion photographs throughout history.