I started out my career as a photographer wanting to become a retoucher and I was obsessed with perfection. But perfection is BORING!
The project 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 shoot 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 it’s 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.
I hope you enjoy looking at these images as much as I enjoyed making them.
