Test Photo browsing interface - This
is really more of a programming project than it is a portfolio, but it
does show some of my work.
Photography
I started taking photography seriously when I was 15 and I took my first
class and the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA). Various things within
photography have excited me since. I started out doing strictly black
and white, then dabbled in color. At the CIA I was actually able to use
a color darkroom after a year or so of classes. I was in heaven. I
still did quite a lot of black and white, slowly refining my techniques
and developing something of a style. I have been a fiber paper purist
for most of the time that I've done photography (without the plastic-like
coating that you see on most prints, not an option for color though).
Various techniques have excited me over the years, ranging from pinhole
photography (one of my favorites) to alternative processes (different
light sensitive emulsions, etc.).
In Kalamazoo I took several classes, one focussed more on the message
and composition of photos, the other more on technique. Kalamazoo, also
has an institute of art (KIA) and I rented darkroom space there as well.
The KIA had both a beautiful, clean darkroom, and a thriving community
of local photographers who used the space. I really enjoyed interacting
with these photographers, some of whom provided truly outstanding
advice on how to improve my own work.
When I moved to Chapel Hill I rented darkroom space at the Carrboro Arts
Center for about two years. Although I had some great experiences the
facilities suffered a bit from a lack of funding. Considering the size
of Carrboro, the facilities were great, but they could not compete with
my experiences in Kalamazoo and Cleveland. Eventually I decided to
switch over to doing most of my work in color. Unfortunately there were
no available facilities for this, so I began relying on processing by
mail. I certainly miss the creative control that comes with printing
photographs and the tone and quality of good paper, but found that I
like the convenience of sending film away to get processed and getting
digital images in addition to the paper prints. I have also stepped
partially into the realm of digital photography, though I still use my
film SLR.