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| Black and White Images |
 For nearly two decades I have explored my artistic vision through the use of color photographic materials. I have sought to capture and understand how subtle changes in shades of color can evoke many different perceptions and emotions from a particular subject. It has not been an easy task to represent the literal world in an artistic emotional way with camera and color film. It has been however the most rewarding endeavor of my life and one that I will always consider my greatest adventure. Recently I have sought to pursue further my visual understanding of the world by exploring it in terms of tones rather than color through the use of black and white photographic materials. In the world of black and white I am rediscovering subjects I have worked with for years in color and have found whole new worlds within those subjects I had begun to overlook. As my knowledge and experience grows I am beginning to recognize that there are infinite tones in the natural world just as there are infinite colors. I am starting to emotionally recognize the many shades of silver represented in black and white imagery from frosted silver to chocolate brown. I feel the emotions that those shades have on my perception of the world. As I continue to grow in my understanding of the world as it is represented in silver images I hope I will be able to instill in you, the viewer, the emotion I feel as well as the amazement and wonder I see i the natural world.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
The term "silver gelatin print" refers to the silver halide crystals in the emulsion that make up the many different shades that are represented in my black and white prints and the gelatin that covers and protects the delicate silver emulsion from damage. These are fiber based prints, meaning the photographic paper base that makes up the foundation for the silver emulsion and gelatin coating is of a fibrous paper material. The prints are given archival processing and under normal conditions should last for centuries. They are all selenium toned, meaning I treat them in a bath of selenium solution that adds to the permanence of the print by providing protection from tarnish and corrosion by air born contaminants. The selenium also enhances somewhat the esthetics of the print by giving it a slight purplish-blue cast and further deepens the darker tones. The prints receive two fixing baths to assure that residual contaminants that could yellow the print over time are removed. Finally the prints are washed for at least one hour in an archival print washer to carefully remove any of the chemicals that may still be present. The prints are permanently mounted on archival museum board with a thermal plastic adhesive and matted with the same type of museum board. These methods have been in practice for decades and are time proven methods to insure a beautiful and nearly permanent photographic print that is hand printed exclusively by me.
All of my black and white images are made using either medium format cameras or large format "view cameras". I use the zone system method for determining both exposure and development of the negative. I work almost exclusively with Kodak TMax 100 film and print on Kodak Polymax Fine Art paper and Brilliant VC III paper by Zone VI. |
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