The image features a Holga 120N medium format film camera, modified to shoot 35mm film. This classic black camera has an optical lens with a focal length of 60mm and an aperture of f/8. The body of the camera is held closed with Velcro, which has handwritten text in yellow. On the left side, it says "Changes the world" and on the right side, it says "This Machine." Additionally, the viewfinder is covered with black tape. The camera is set against a black-and-white patterned surface, and the overall appearance of the camera is rugged and well-used, reflecting its role as a tool for creative and experimental photography

I started out my career as a photographer wanting to become a retoucher, and I was obsessed with perfection. But, perfection is BORING!

Photogenic Alchemy started out with a modified toy camera. I had converted a Holga to shoot 35mm film. I’d take it with me 24/7 and shot whatever I felt was interesting.

At the same time the series started, I was coming out a deep depression. I was terrified by everything, was agoraphobic, and couldn’t even get out of bed; let alone live in the seemingly bleak world that was out there for me. So I decided ENOUGH! Enough of the fear. Enough of the self-loathing. Enough of the isolation.

I left my self-made prison to explore the world around me. At a quarter century old, I felt like a kid again. Everything was new and everything was a possibility. I shot this new fascinating world taking street photos and landscapes.

However, the images were still bland to me. It came to a point where I wanted to explore the medium of film itself. I embarked on a journey that has led me here. Where is here? Here is a place full of what ifs. What if I electrified my film and then froze it afterward? What if I introduced absinthe to the emulsion? What if I was to soak the film in Ambien before I shot it?

Photogenic Alchemy is an exercise in controlled chaos and a study in the science of art. By breaking down silver salts and celluloid to its elemental form, I’ve created a dark and gritty apocalyptic world. It is a world that seems to be dissolving right before our eyes. Toxic and fascinating, each new roll of film left me intrigued. I couldn’t wait to try the next substance on my ever-increasing list.

Check out the whole series below.

  • A photograph of the George Washington Bridge, altered with an artistic effect. The film has been soaked in lemon juice, creating a vibrant and abstract composition. The image features the bridge structure prominently in the background, with a setting or rising sun casting a warm orange glow. The foreground includes tree silhouettes and abstract shapes and colors, with blue, yellow, and green hues blending together. The overall effect gives the image a dreamlike and surreal quality
    Lemon Juice
  • A photograph of the Brooklyn Bridge, modified with an artistic effect. The film has been soaked in ammonia, resulting in a unique and abstract composition. The bridge is prominently featured, with its iconic structure visible against a backdrop of blue and green hues. The image includes streaks and spots of various colors, giving it a textured and surreal appearance. The combination of colors and textures creates a dreamlike quality, adding an artistic flair to the otherwise recognizable landmark.
    Ammonia
  • A surreal image created from film that has been boiled, resulting in a vibrant and abstract composition. The photograph features bold shades of green and red, with hints of blue and yellow, creating a fluid, almost psychedelic effect. In the background, there is a faint, ghostly outline of a bridge, partially obscured by the colorful patterns and textures introduced by the boiling process. The overall image has a dreamlike, otherworldly quality, blending urban elements with organic, abstract forms.
    Boiled
  • An abstract image of the Roosevelt Island Bridge, set against a surreal blend of colors, primarily purples and pinks. The scene is overlaid with dark, speckled textures and faint outlines of leafless trees, creating a dreamy and ethereal effect. The steel truss bridge stretches across the image, with its details partially obscured by the artistic overlays and color washes. The film appears to have been soaked in Drano, adding unique chemical textures and distortions that enhance the mysterious and contemplative mood, blending urban and natural elements in a fluid, painterly style
    Drano
  • An experimental photograph featuring abstract shapes and textures in shades of pink, purple, and red. The image has a soft focus and a grainy texture, with areas that resemble streaks and bubbles. The film this photo was shot on was soaked in aluminum sulfate, creating a unique, otherworldly effect. The colors blend and contrast in a visually striking manner, evoking a sense of fluidity and motion
    Aluminum Sulfate
  • Queens from 72nd street shot on film stock that was soaked in Vinegar
    Vinegar
  • Lower Level of the George Washington bridge shot on film stock that was soaked in Hydrogen Peroxide and Nail Polish Remover
    Hydrogen Peroxide and Nail Polish Remover
  • A soft-focus, experimental photograph of a rural road with a red truck from "Ken's Tree Care" on the right side. The scene is bathed in warm, hazy hues of red and pink, creating a dreamlike atmosphere. Trees line the road, their shapes blurred and distorted. The film was soaked in cough syrup, adding to the surreal, otherworldly quality of the image, with streaks and smudges enhancing the abstract feel
    Cough Syrup
  • A double exposure photograph of the wheels of a semi-truck, with the film soaked in driveway degreaser. The image features a swirling, circular motion with overlapping colors of pink, green, and hints of yellow. The degreaser has caused various textures and spots, adding to the surreal, ethereal quality of the photo. The overall effect is reminiscent of a kaleidoscope, with light and shadow playing across the frame, creating a dreamlike and otherworldly scene. The truck wheels are partially visible through the abstract patterns, blending into the dynamic composition.
    Driveway Degreaser
  • A surreal image created from film soaked in ginger juice. The resulting photograph features a dreamy, colorful background with shades of blue, pink, and purple. The scene depicts a city skyline with tall buildings and water towers, partially obscured by abstract textures and overlays caused by the ginger juice soaking process. The overall effect is ethereal and atmospheric, blending urban elements with organic, fluid patterns that give the image a unique, painterly quality.
    Ginger Juice
  • A double exposure photograph featuring five mannequin heads behind a chain-link fence. The film was electrified and then frozen, creating a surreal and ghostly appearance with pink and red hues blending into the image
    Electrified Then Frozen
  • A soft-focus, experimental photograph of a city park bench lined with trees. The scene is vibrant with multiple colors, creating a surreal and dreamy effect. The sunlight filters through the trees, casting long shadows on the cobblestone path. The film was soaked in Coca-Cola, resulting in streaks and smudges that add to the ethereal atmosphere of the image
    Coca Cola
  • A photograph of a building with a red door, the film soaked in driveway degreaser. The image has an abstract, almost painterly quality with streaks of yellow, green, and light diffusions, creating a unique visual effect.
    Driveway Degreaser
  • A double exposure photograph featuring multiple white mannequin hands stacked in a wire basket. The image has a surreal appearance with red and pink hues blending into the scene, created by electrifying and then freezing the film.
    Electrified Then Frozen
  • An eerie, experimental photograph featuring a distorted, screaming face in the foreground. The background shows dark, indistinct shapes, contributing to a haunting atmosphere. The film this photo was shot on was soaked in Ambien, resulting in an otherworldly, spectral effect. The image has a soft focus, with horizontal lines and specks adding to the sense of distortion and unease.
    Ambien
  • A dark and abstract multiple exposure photograph featuring a burlesque dancer. The dancer, depicted in a ghostly red hue, has outstretched arms and a torso that blend into the darkness. The image is heavily distorted with horizontal green lines, adding an eerie, glitch-like effect. The film was soaked in hydrogen peroxide, contributing to the unique and unsettling appearance
    Hydrogen Peroxide
  • A surreal, experimental photograph featuring a woman's face, partially obscured by green, organic-looking patterns. The film this photo was shot on was soaked in absinthe, creating a dreamlike, underwater effect. The image has a soft focus with horizontal lines and specks, enhancing the sense of distortion and otherworldliness
    Absinthe
  • A soft-focus, experimental photograph of a woman sitting with her arms behind her head, wrapped in glowing Christmas lights. The warm, orange glow of the lights creates a dramatic contrast against the dark background. The film was soaked in an Champagne, resulting in an ethereal and surreal effect with streaks and smudges adding to the dreamy atmosphere of the image.
    Champagne
  • A high-key, experimental photograph of people on a street, where their figures appear as ghostly silhouettes and shadows. The image has a teal and white color scheme, with textures and speckles reminiscent of film that has been chemically altered by absinthe. The central area is brightly illuminated, creating a stark contrast with the darker, shadowy edges, lending a surreal and abstract feel to the scene
    Absinthe
  • An experimental photograph of a woman looking over her shoulder. The image is bathed in warm, vibrant hues of red, orange, and purple. The woman's features are softly focused, creating an ethereal and intimate atmosphere. Her bare shoulder and delicate grip on her clothing add to the vulnerability of the scene. The film has been soaked in color-safe bleach, resulting in abstract, organic patterns and bubbles that frame the subject, enhancing the dreamlike quality of the image
    Color Safe Bleach
  • A photograph of an outdoor scene featuring a large satellite dish with a painted butterfly on it. The background shows bare trees and a house, suggesting a suburban setting. The image is overlaid with abstract patterns and hues of purple and red, creating a surreal effect. The film has been soaked in Drano, resulting in an experimental, dreamlike quality with various textures and colors merging into the scene.
    Drano
  • A photograph of a dilapidated, abandoned structure overgrown with trees and vegetation. The scene is tinted with purple hues, and the image has a dreamlike, ethereal quality due to the film being soaked in Febreze
    Febreze
  • A surreal and abstract photograph featuring a silhouetted figure of a nude woman with shaggy hair, posing with her arms on her hips. The background is a blend of pink and purple hues with drips and splatters, creating an ethereal, almost otherworldly atmosphere. The film was soaked in iodine, contributing to the unique, distorted visual effects and coloration.
    Iodine
  • A striking photograph features a nude woman captured in a dynamic pose with her arm extended forward. The film was soaked in kerosene, creating abstract and organic patterns that overlay the image. The background is a stark white, with dark, spidery lines and dots adding an eerie, surreal effect. This is a multiple exposure, adding depth and complexity to the composition, with the woman's silhouette blending into the abstract backdrop.
    Kerosene
  • A visually compelling photograph of a nude woman in a dynamic pose, with her arm extended and thumb up, captured in a shadowy silhouette against a vibrant background. The film was soaked in iodine, creating abstract, flowing patterns of deep reds, purples, and oranges that envelop the image. This multiple exposure adds layers and depth to the composition, making the woman's form both a part of and distinct from the swirling colors around her.
    Iodine
  • An abstract and vibrant photograph featuring the horizon over the sea, created by soaking the film in Ludigol-F. The image is predominantly in shades of red and yellow, with numerous red spots of varying sizes giving it a textured appearance. The fluid, streaky patterns add a dynamic feel to the composition, blending with the horizon line and creating a surreal interpretation of a seascape
    Ludigol-F
  • A surreal and dreamy photograph depicting a New York City street covered in snow, created by soaking the film in olive brine. The image features soft shades of purple and pink, with subtle hints of red. The ethereal texture is marked by numerous small dots and organic patterns, giving it a whimsical and otherworldly feel. The snow-covered street blends with the colors and textures, creating an abstract representation of the urban landscape in winter, evoking a sense of calm and wonder amidst the bustling city
    Olive Brine
  • A film photograph depicts an ice rink at Rockefeller Center with skaters gliding across the ice, captured from a high vantage point. The scene is bathed in a dark blue hue, with visible grain and spots indicating the film's exposure to turpentine. The image has an ethereal, dreamlike quality due to the uneven chemical treatment, which creates abstract patterns and discolorations throughout the frame. The rink and skaters appear slightly blurred, adding to the surreal atmosphere.
    Turpentine
  • A soft-focus, experimental photograph of a wall covered in graffiti and murals. A prominent face is visible in one of the murals, partially obscured by the film's overlay effect. The film was soaked in Bengay, creating a surreal, dreamlike quality with blurred lines and colors blending into each other. The overall image has a washed-out, ethereal appearance, with blue and green hues dominating the scene
    Bengay
  • A film photograph features a smiley face, distorted by a multitude of thin, horizontal lines that traverse the image. The background has a mixture of dark and light areas, with a grainy texture and scattered specks, caused by the film being soaked in Pepto-Bismol. The overall color scheme has a bluish tint with some reddish spots and dark areas, creating a haunting and surreal atmosphere.
    Pepto Bismol