Talk to the Photographer
Send an email to randall@silverprintstudio.com

Artist Statement

I use the traditional film based Black & White process & the historic bromoil process because they are my passions. I love the feel and spontaneity of an original print. I believe in craftsmanship, and the silver process affords me the opportunity to practice my craft. I hand process all my work - giving each photograph a personal touch. Digital images may be beautiful, but they are fundamentally a product of a machine. I prefer creating photographs in the darkroom letting each and every image speak to me - finishing only those that feel right to me. I believe bromoils and black and white prints match our emotional and perceptual experiences. It relays more information about light, form, and essence in a way no other process does.

Process

I use dead photographers' techniques to create my photographs. For my landscapes, I use a 4x5 Sinar view camera. My European images are taken with a Hassleblad, and my mustangs are taken with a Canon and a 300mm lens. I use a Minolta spotmeter to analyze highlights and shadows but usually go by instinct and my own visual perceptions to determine exposure and development. I custom develop each sheet/roll of film using Fuji films. I print with a diffusion, condenser or cold light enlarger using a variety of papers. A bromoil is a historic process creating a one of a kind image using chemicals and paint to make the image instead of silver as used in the black and white process. Everything is sold in limited editions.

Background

After learning the basics of photography from my dad as a kid I got a job at a Detroit studio that did primarily B&W photography. There I learned professional darkroom procedures & large format photography. At that time I attended the Winona School of Photography. After 7 years, I moved to Montana and worked for two other studios. I have received many ribbons for my studio work. In 1988, I opened my own studio specializing in B&W. In 1993, I moved from studio portraits to fine-art photography. In 2003, I had a solo show at the Paris Gibson Museum of Art in Great Falls and since then have had several solo exhibits at galleries throughout the West including Big Sky, MT in 2006. I live with my wife and three dogs in Red Lodge, Montana.