Sitting here as I write this article at 530 AM on January 1, 2025, I feel thankful. In many ways, 2024 was a good year, but it was also very challenging. We try to avoid challenges, but they continually shape us into better people and help us grow to new levels.
I wanted to share my photographic plans with you in the new year. I write many articles and create videos for the analog photography community, which I deeply enjoy because I can help other photographers at every level of their creative and technical maturity. It brings me a lot of joy to help photographers realize their dreams and create their best work. It took me decades to get to that point.
Just a quick note—I’ve created a ‘Gear for Sale‘ page as I begin downsizing the equipment I’ve collected over the years. I’m regularly adding new items, so be sure to check back often!”
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There are very few resources available today to help analog photographers with the technical aspects of a small niche and help people find an authentic path that fills them with joy because they are creating the type of work they have had in their minds for many years. This is why I created the Darkroom Diary Premium Membership. I want to build a small community of analog photographers who wish to grow, mature, and continue to learn. Having a place to share our successes and failures and discuss our passion is essential, and I am honored to continue doing this in the new year.
If you haven’t already subscribed to my YouTube channel, you should do that because I have a lot of great stuff planned for you this year. Also, my Free Newsletter is the best way to stay in the loop as I write new articles, create new videos, and share my latest artwork.
In the next section, I will share my personal plans for the new year.
My Creative Focus in the New Year
As an art form, photography is full of challenges and rewards, but the handmade calotype paper negative process stands apart in its complexity, unpredictability, and sheer magic. For me, specializing in calotype paper negatives has been a journey of persistence, artistic exploration, and deep historical connection. The joy and sense of accomplishment I feel when creating calotypes is unparalleled.
The calotype challenges me because it is a process unlike any other. Its chemistry is inherently unstable and constantly changing, requiring me to adapt and innovate with every attempt. How calotypes handle and render light is truly magical; no other photographic process creates the same interplay of texture, tone, and depth. This singular quality is what first drew me to the calotype and continues to inspire me.
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Combining the calotype with soft-focus Pictorial lenses has allowed me to create the images I’ve envisioned for nearly four decades. These lenses, with their ethereal, dreamlike qualities, complement the calotype’s nuanced rendering of light and shadow. Together, they enable me to craft images that align with my creative vision and push the boundaries of what analog photography can achieve.
A New Chapter for Darkroom Diary
After much reflection, I’ve decided to shift my focus entirely to creating premium articles, videos, and guides for Darkroom Diary Premium Members and will no longer publish videos on YouTube. Producing detailed, high-quality articles, guides, and videos takes an enormous amount of time and effort, and I want to dedicate all my energy to providing even more insightful and helpful content for my members.
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This journey has not been without its challenges. Over the years, I have faced numerous setbacks and failed attempts to create high-quality calotypes that meet my standards for gallery-worthy platinum and palladium prints. Yet, despite these difficulties, I persisted. Each failure was a lesson, each setback a stepping stone, and now I can say that I am creating work I am genuinely proud of. Every calotype I make carries a sense of accomplishment and mastery, hard-earned through years of dedication.
When I see a calotype, I see more than just a photographic negative—I see history, art, and a connection to the past. The calotype is not merely a tool or a medium; it is a bridge between centuries of photographic innovation and my creative practice. I am constantly in awe of William Henry Fox Talbot and the countless great minds like Alendar Greenlaw, who paved the way for the first negative-to-positive photographic process. Their ingenuity and perseverance inspire me to honor their legacy by continuing to explore and push the limits of this historical method.
The hands-on nature of the calotype workflow makes each piece a journey unto itself. Every step, from preparing the paper to the moment when the image emerges in the development tray, is an exercise in patience, precision, and artistry. I am still amazed every time I see a beautiful calotype take shape, filled with a sense of awe and wonder that no other photographic process has ever given me.
Beyond the technical mastery and pride of conquering such a challenging process, the calotype’s limitations drive me forward. Its slow and deliberate nature forces me to think more deeply about my work, grow creatively, and evolve as an artist. The sense of personal satisfaction I derive from this process is unparalleled, and it keeps me motivated to push myself to new heights.
Ultimately, the calotype allows me to create the Pictorial images I’ve always dreamed of. Its inherent challenges and limitations are not obstacles but opportunities to grow, innovate, and create work that resonates deeply with my artistic vision. Specializing in calotypes is not just a choice; it is a calling that continues to shape me as an artist and inspires me to honor the past while forging a path into the future.
My primary focus in 2025 for my personal work will be exploring calotype paper negatives in ways I have been thinking about for quite a while now. For example, I want to explore a new form of floral still life that I have been discussing with my closest friends and family for many years. I have started a new journey creating abstract floral still life using my 8×10 and 14×17 cameras with calotype paper negatives and platinum and palladium prints. This will be my Floral Alchemy Collection. I have already begun creating my first compositions, and my anticipation and excitement to see the first calotype and platinum print is very high. Every spare moment I have, I daydream about new compositions and possibilities. What excites me the most is that this latest collection combines different worlds (19th-century handmade calotypes with modern abstract art).
I also plan to continue my fieldwork with calotypes to photograph lone trees on the Missouri Ozarks landscape, historic mills, and covered bridges, to name a few. I will test the limits of what I can do with calotypes using ultra-large format cameras.
As I work through my first set of artist proofs, I keep things small and manageable with my 8×10 camera. I am using silver gelatin paper negatives and kallitype prints to help me visualize the possibilities before I start the complex and time-consuming calotype and platinum/palladium process. In a way, I am using the speed and convenience of the silver gelatin paper negative process like we did Polaroid proofs back in the day. By making proofs with the kallitype process, I can visualize what the platinum and palladium prints could look like at a fraction of the financial and time costs. In their own way, the silver gelatin paper negatives are unique and make beautiful silver gelatin, kallitype, and platinum/palladium prints. While I am using the silver gelatin paper negative as a tool in the Floral Alchemy workflow, I can see many creative opportunities in the future to use them as the primary negative medium.
I will continue to track and photograph the Wild Horses of Missouri because it is how I continue to heal and spend time with Abby. It is a way for me to relax, heal, and continue the lifelong journey of recovering from such a terrible loss that no parent ever wants to realize. I see families and relationships in the wild horses and learn many lessons from them that help me in life and my creative pursuits. I use everything from my Nikon F6 35mm with big telephoto prime lenses to my Pentax 645 medium format system to my vintage large format Graflex 4×5 and 5×7 cameras to create the Wild Horse photos. I sincerely enjoy making the wild horse silver gelatin prints, and am grateful to have these magical and beautiful wild horses near my home.
I love exploring the landscapes of the Ozark Mountains and finding lone trees on foggy and misty mornings. I will continue photographing these scenes and adding new images to my Echoes of the Ozarks collection. In my large and ultra-large format cameras, I use everything from sheet film to silver gelatin paper negatives and even calotype paper negatives.
When Tim Jr has time, we will continue to take the big ULF cameras out and create new photographs. He loves photographing old mills, barns, covered bridges, and any old architecture, as do I. The time we spend together sharing all of this is like winning the lottery. It’s our way of spending time together. As an incredible side benefit, we occasionally make some pretty amazing ultra large format prints and hang them in our gallery or on the walls at home.
I also plan to continue investing in good health by exercising every day and making wise food choices. I have made a lot of solid progress in this area in 2024, and I am excited to continue improving and realizing the benefits of my focus and dedication.
I wish you great joy and success in the new year. I hope to spend time with you and get to know you better in 2025.
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