Darkroom Dynamics

Enlarged Photograms

Dick Bartlett

My efforts in photography have always been to create the infinitesimal detail and subtle tonalities possible only through photographic processes. At first I imitated the technique of Ansel Adams and worked with large negatives producing contact prints. Aaron Siskind’s work introduced me to the possibilities of photographic abstraction. After seeing a show of noncamera photographs by Frederick Sommer, I began work in a technique similar to his, using ink-coated glass sheets as negatives from which to make prints. This freed me from the traditional photographic dependence on the camera and the outside world. ...