I know what the interwebs is for
I have been where you are. The internet is full of increasingly horrible content — it fosters antisocial behavior, and the algorithm is focused only on money and hateful rhetoric that divides. Meanwhile, our political leaders in this country are plotting against their own populace. Wars abound. People are suffering and dying. Natural disasters are an everyday occurrence, mostly brought on by human greed. Worldwide, no end in sight. The feelings of helplessness were with me every waking minute.
Creative Block? Try Making Art with Your Hands
What do you do when creative block hits? For Kevin Black, a photographer who spent 50+ years shooting for advertising clients, the answer was to put the pixels down and make art with his hands — 1850s-style tintypes, platinum and palladium prints, and photographs hand-gilded with real gold on vellum, Japanese paper, and glass. "An image is not complete until I can hold it in my hands," he says.
Finding Beauty Through Handmade Photography: The Gilded Vellum Series
How I came to work in gilded photographic art
Freedom of Choice
Making a handmade photograph is a unique and personal experience that involves a variety of creative choices and techniques. As a photographer, I carefully select subject, props, lighting, and composition to capture my image. I then make decisions about the type of paper or material to print on and the specific printing technique to use.
Why I Like Handmade Photography
My reason for working with hand made photographic processes
Tintype workshop
Many thanks to Light Art Space in Silver City, New Mexico for hosting my Introduction to tintype photography workshop. Six people joined me to learn about and work with the traditional Wet Plate collodion methods used to make tintypes and ambrotypes.
Shadow & Light Magazine - September 2019
I am honored to have one of my 8 x 10 glass plate Ambrotype portraits on the cover of Shadow & Light magazine. The “Hopi” portrait was taken of the lovely Melissa Pochoema.
Food photography in Pennsylvania - Dec 2018
Back to the Philadelphia area to help one of my clients with some much needed food photography that must be completed by end of year for their upcoming advertising and packaging needs.
The Art of Healing exhibit - December 2018
I am excited to share gallery space with 19 other artists to support eh New Mexico Cancer Center and Gallery with a Cause at New Mexico Cancer Center. The opening and Arts Crawl reception is December 7th.
The Road Less Photographed
Way back when … I started my photographic career using large format film cameras. I had my own commercial photography studio in Philadelphia shooting primarily food photography for national and international advertising clients. Throughout my work at the studio, I transitioned through a number of technology
The Fence, Santa Fe, NM - July 2018
I am honored to join a number of other great international photographic artists on “The Fence”, an exhibit at the Santa Fe, NM Railyards. Selections from my Belen Cattle Auction Wet Plate portrait series were printed on vinyl for the outside exhibition.
Corrales Harvest Festival 2017
You never know who you will meet, nor what will become of it! While I was working at the Corrales Harvest Festival this weekend shooting portraits in the tintype process