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Email Kristin About Kristin Price List Photos |
I always thought that since I couldn't draw, I wasn't creative. The "artistic" people I knew could draw and paint; I was only able to see and appreciate what others were able to make. Then I discovered the medium of photography.
My "formal" training is limited, but my more practical training is a result of trial and error, burning a lot of film, extensive reading, and viewing other people's work. I would credit my aesthetic sense to my mother and my aunt. The subject matter in this group of photographs was inspired by an assignment to mimic and adapt the style of another photographer. Before that assignment, I thought still life was cheating - that photographs had to be found, not made. I, with some trepidation, started making still lifes after becoming familiar with the work of Olivia Parker through a book of her images entitled Signs of Life. I have come to understand that each approach has its own merits. Finding a photograph is exciting in the sense that I've made a discovery. Making a still life is gratifying in that I'm seeing something I've seen many times before in a new light - quite literally as it is often the lighting that makes it interesting. While I enjoy working in color as well as black and white, the latter is my real love. The images shown here are monochromes. You may notice, however, that they are not all black and white. These pieces are printed on fiber-based paper and then toned, most in selenium of varying strengths, to preserve the image with the additional bonus of just a suggestion of color. Another perk of working in black and white is that the simplicity of the chemistry makes it possible for me to have my hands on the project from beginning to end. I am able to select my subject, make the negative, process the negative, print and tone it to achieve my desired outcome myself. The negatives for the images here were made with 35mm equipment and enlarged or with a 4x5 view camera and contact printed. Most of my enlargements aren't that large. I choose to print small because, for me, it lends a sense of intimacy to the images. It forces me to examine the finished prints closely, at short range. Viewing them that way helps me remove the context of where they're hung and just enjoy them for what they are. Hopefully, that's what it will do for other viewers also. |