Dreamstates

I really am a Zone System photographer. Or so I thought. If the zone system is about controlling each step of the photographic process to reach a pre-visualized image, then these photograms are the extreme opposite.

A pho·to·gra·ph [light+drawn] in its purest, original definition has never required a camera and film—only the chemical reaction of light on sensitized paper. The resultant art of this curious technology in the dark is an abstract image from the subconscious, possibly similar to that of dreaming.

The subjects of these photograms are materials of daily life taken to their abstraction. The process releases creative forces and unexpected reactions that push me to discover the true limits of the materials. Unpredictability becomes the norm. Pleasant surprises abound. Fun happens. This process has reminded me of the value of purity and simplicity in both photography and life.