Light & Dark: November 2012: Defunct

(Waldport, Or) -Ilford HP5 Plus-

Practice & Philosophy

I shot the photographs here during the specific months & years listed, using primarily black & white films in 35 or 120 mm manual cameras. I develop each canister of film & choose certain negatives to enlarge & print in different sizes in a traditional wet darkroom. Each print takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 5 hours depending on paper size & type, as well as after-effects like dust spotting, toning, hand coloring & hot pressing.

For me, understanding light & shadow in correlation with film size & speed, lenses & filters, shutter & aperture, dodging & burning, resin coated vs. fiber papers & different chemical processes means far greater control over the photographed scene & most importantly, the final image. This lengthy "hands-on" process is what keeps me loving this dying art.

My work is an attempt to preserve photographic tradition by emphasizing the craft of traditional black & white film photography. It is a conscious, deliberate rejection of digital imagery & the qualities it embodies: computerization, automation, immediacy, limited control & conventionality.

The purpose of this site, like my negatives organized chronologically in binders, is to document & categorize my ideas, my projects, my life. Ultimately, 'Light & Dark' is a narcissistic endeavor: it serves as a public exhibition to where I've been, what I've chosen to photograph & how I've determined its context. Your interest & your understanding is sincerely appreciated.

Inspirational Print

"Autofocus: The Self-Portrait in Contemporary Photography" by Susan Bright
"Believing Is Seeing: Observations on the Mysteries of Photography" by Errol Morris
"Elements of Black & White Photography: The Making of 20 Images" by George Todd
"Images of History" by Robert Levine
"La Casa de Cita: Mexican Photographs from the Belle Epoch" & "La casa de citas en el barrio Galante" by Ava Vargas
"Modern Women: Women Artists at the MoMA" Eds. C. Butler & A. Schwartz
"Photography & Society" by Giséle Freund
"Secret Knowledge" by David Hockney
"Speech & Phenomena," chapter "Sign & Signs" by Jacques Derrida
"The Pleasures of Good Photographs," chapter "It's Art, But Is It Photography? Some Thoughts on Photoshop" by Gerry Badger
"Towards a Philosophy of Photography" by Vilém Flusser
"Weegee's World" by Miles Barth

Light & Dark

November 2012: Defunct

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