infrared photography

I began working with Infrared film back in 1990 and loved the magical quality of this artistic medium. Kodak developed the first Infrared film that was sensitive to infrared light back in the 1930”s. I worked with the Kodak Infrared film for over ten years, photographing weddings, architecture and nature. I would handprint the infrared photographs in the darkroom.

In 2010, I was introduced to “Digital Infrared Photography”. Manufacturers of digital cameras place a filter in front of the light sensor to block the infrared light. In order to take digital infrared photographs, this filter must be removed and replaced with a filter that blocks much of the visible light. The result is now having a camera that can capture “infrared photographs”. The most dramatic results are shown with outdoor scenes, where green foliage and the surrounding background take on a dream-like surreal quality, giving the final image a glowing appearance. I have converted many different cameras to photograph infrared light. My recent exploration in this field involves placing an infrared filter in front of an iPhone camera to capture “smartphone infrared photographs”. I am enjoying the journey of working with different cameras and infrared filters to capture new subtleties within this artistic medium of Infrared photography.

cyanotype PHOTOGRAPHY

I begin the process of making a cyanotype by first creating the photographic paper in a dark room by applying a light sensitive emulsion solution to the paper. Following this, I collect various items from nature such as flowers, leaves, seaweed and different types of grasses to use in my Cyanotypes. These natural items are then arranged on the paper and exposed to sunlight for up to six hours. During the process, additional items are added to enhance the color tones such as salt water, turmeric and sassafras to name a few. After the sunlight has exposed the paper, the prints are then washed and dried. The resulting cyanotype has an abstract painterly quality with various tones of blues, as well as hints of shimmering white and gold specks. In addition to cyanotypes, I also create CYANOLUMENS. These prints are created with a similar technique as cyanotypes using silver gelatin darkroom paper. I enjoy the meditation of working with nature while creating these prints in Connecticut as well as on the coastline of southern Maine.