Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of camera do you use?
I use a Tachihara 4"x5" field camera. It looks like this:
It's pretty lightweight for a large format camera, but it's not a handheld device. I use a tripod to keep it steady while I compose and focus an image. It can take anywhere from a fraction of a second (in full daylight) to several hours (in the middle of the night) to expose a single negative.
Why do you make photographs in black & white instead of color?
It's what I learned and it's what I love. The "limitations" of black & white film leave me free to concentrate on form, tone, and subject matter. I am happy to leave color to other visual artists.
Most of the photographs I admire are in black & white.
How do you develop and print your photographs?
I do all of my developing and printing in my own darkroom. Each print is unique. I don't often make more than one or two prints from a given negative, since the kind of processing I do is fairly time- and labor-intensive. In addition to the standard darkroom processes of dodging and burning, I apply to each print a potassium ferricyanide-based reducer, or “bleach”, which dissolves silver and can be used to add highlights, bring out soft details, and finely adjust the balance of the image. After toning, washing, and mounting the print, I use watercolor and a razor blade to make any final adjustments necessary.
Why do you use film when digital is so much more convenient?
I like the way that film forces me to slow down, plan ahead, and think about everything that goes into the final picture. Think "slow food", but with a camera.
How large do you blow up your photographs?
I don't enlarge my photographs at all, generally. Most are 4”x5” contact prints. A contact print is a print in which the negative is compressed against the printing paper, producing an image exactly the same size as the original negative. If you've ever been to an exhibition in a museum or gallery that included photographs from the 19th or early 20th century, then you've seen contact prints.
I contact print because I love the way contact prints look: dense and intense. They're the principal glory of large-format film photography.
Is your work for sale?
Yes. If you would like to purchase a print or inquire about the price of a specific image, please write to me.
Why do you make photographs in black & white instead of color?
It's what I learned and it's what I love. The "limitations" of black & white film leave me free to concentrate on form, tone, and subject matter. I am happy to leave color to other visual artists.
Most of the photographs I admire are in black & white.
How do you develop and print your photographs?
I do all of my developing and printing in my own darkroom. Each print is unique. I don't often make more than one or two prints from a given negative, since the kind of processing I do is fairly time- and labor-intensive. In addition to the standard darkroom processes of dodging and burning, I apply to each print a potassium ferricyanide-based reducer, or “bleach”, which dissolves silver and can be used to add highlights, bring out soft details, and finely adjust the balance of the image. After toning, washing, and mounting the print, I use watercolor and a razor blade to make any final adjustments necessary.
Why do you use film when digital is so much more convenient?
I like the way that film forces me to slow down, plan ahead, and think about everything that goes into the final picture. Think "slow food", but with a camera.
How large do you blow up your photographs?
I don't enlarge my photographs at all, generally. Most are 4”x5” contact prints. A contact print is a print in which the negative is compressed against the printing paper, producing an image exactly the same size as the original negative. If you've ever been to an exhibition in a museum or gallery that included photographs from the 19th or early 20th century, then you've seen contact prints.
I contact print because I love the way contact prints look: dense and intense. They're the principal glory of large-format film photography.
Is your work for sale?
Yes. If you would like to purchase a print or inquire about the price of a specific image, please write to me.
