Michael Bryant

I shoot 120mm black & white film using a Holga camera—a plastic camera produced in China in 1982 as an affordable option for the masses. Each Holga's imperfections uniquely affect the film. Light leaks occur despite my Velcro wrapping. Loose film spools create out-of-focus images. The plastic lens distorts edges, sometimes producing "ghost images," and causes darkening around the edges. The viewfinder doesn't align with the lens, creating varying image shifts. Without a built-in light meter, good exposures depend on my knowledge of light and film. I often shoot multiple exposures on a single 2-1/4 inch square negative by manually advancing the film and repeatedly tripping the shutter. I experiment with camera movement between exposures, occasionally creating uniquely abstract images. I scan negatives showing the whole image with film code sometimes visible, then print on watercolor paper I've painted and copper leafed. I create frameless displays using handmade frames. The source of my work is in my head, not my camera—my personal version of truth.

I shoot 120mm black & white film using a Holga (a plastic, poor quality, Chinese camera). Each Holga is different and its imperfections affect the film in an individual way. Light leaks are common, although I wrap my camera in Velcro to minimize them. The film spools are often loose, creating out of focus images because the film doesn't lie flat on the focal plane. Light falloff from the plastic lens causes a darkening of the edges in most images. There is no built-in light meter, so good exposures depend on my knowledge of light and film. I scan my negatives and create archival pigment prints on painted and metal-leafed watercolor paper. I make my own frames (from raw wood, paint and metal leaf) so that I can float the images without glass. The overall effect of my technique is an image that utilizes but doesn't record what I saw in the viewfinder. The source of my work is in my head, not in my camera. It is my own personal version of the truth.

I shoot botanicals in the studio with a 4x5 view camera on Polaroid 55 Film. This film produces a Polaroid print, in addition to a black & white 4" x 5" negative. The distinctive edges, including the round holes at the top of the image are exclusive to this type of film. The negative is then scanned and manipulated in Photoshop (including adding the color), and is printed on an Epson 7800, utilizing state of the art inks. I print on cotton rag fine art paper, with a luster surface. The resulting Giclees are archival, acid free and rated to last at least 100 years. As the inks have gotten better, Giclees are now accepted as the future of photographic printing and are collected by museums, galleries, and corporate collections the world over. My goal is to create work that affects me. When I look at a finished piece and for a split second, time stops, I can hear my heart beating in my chest, I forget to breathe, and I am aware only of this piece and how it makes me feel – then I know that I succeeded. Of course, I hope that other people get it, but that's not really the point. It's like an addiction, and I am always seeking that high.