4×5 Film Photography Project

Artist Statement:

My current photographic project is something a little bit different. Armed with a large format, 4×5 inch film view camera and light-sensitive photographic paper, I am taking photographs in a dark, high-contrast world, where time slows down.

The use of light-sensitive photographic paper instead of traditional film requires much longer exposure times, resulting in images that are dreamy, highly contrasted, dark and rich.

One of the central themes of this project is the concept of what is considered a ‘successful’ photograph. I am interested in what I can achieve through failed and flawed portraits; incorrect exposure, missed focus, motion blur, and chemical staining from interrupted development.

Working with a large format camera is vastly different from modern digital photography. With a limited number of exposures (a maximum of 14 per shoot with my current setup), each exposure is precious. Long exposure times introduce an element of unpredictability, as I never know exactly how the final image will turn out. This element of chance pushes me to embrace spontaneity, intuition and to be less focused on perfection. Large format cameras have a unique way of seeing the world, and photographic paper has a unique sensitivity to the spectrum of light. Photographic paper – being blind to the red end of the color spectrum – renders red objects as jet black. The resulting images from this approach are unlike any other black and white photographic approach.

The process of creating these photographs extends into the darkroom, during the quiet of the night. Working alone under the red safe light, in the alchemy of developing, fixing, and washing the negatives is a meditative process, as I wait to see if my experiments have been successful.

In addition to still life and landscapes, I have also turned the camera on myself, creating self-portraits that are emotionally charged and introspective. Working alone, I rely on intuition and instinct, as I cannot simultaneously be behind and in front of the camera. This creates a dialogue between myself and the medium, resulting in images that are imperfect, raw, vulnerable, and deeply personal.