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Although I have been a photographer
since age 10, beginning in the early ‘90s I concentrated
on large-format black & white photography using a 4 x 5 view
camera. While the equipment is heavy, and carrying it long distances
is sometimes necessary, such concerns are far outweighed by the
control that can be achieved in capturing images on film.
Over the years, my studio has been the outdoors, where I’ve
recorded images of the randomness of our world. Of special interest
have been the abstract patterns resulting from natural random
processes: lines & curves, texture, shading, and the forms
that are created. I’ve sought out these natural patterns
in much of what I have done, in either crushed bales or bushelings
in a scrap yard, water flow in creeks and streams, or even ocean
waves hitting rocks on shore. As fascinating as these abstract
images are, my interests also extend beyond their study.
Beginning in 1991, I was drawn to the coastal region of Maine,
visiting towns and peninsulas from Eastport to the Bath/Brunswick
area, and I found myself returning over and over again. In part,
my travels to Coastal Maine were motivated by the availability
of water subjects. But these travels were also motivated by my
desire to seek out a way of life far from the madness of big city
living. In Maine, I could see pockets of life at an unpretentious
level, relatively unaffected by the nearby civilization to the
south. I could see man’s attempt to survive and eke out
a living amidst the complex interplay of the elements.
Just as landscapes are filled with marvelous rock formations
and pine trees, seascapes are dotted
with numerous indications of man’s presence – harbors
and docks, lighthouses, working boats, and
little dinghies. The scenes I’ve sought to photograph either
are purely natural or are suggestive of the presence of man, specifically
his structures, his boats, and even his chairs and his junk.
Technically, most of my negatives are 4 x 5, although a few are
2 ¼ square medium-format. All processing is done in a wet
darkroom, and in order to maximize the archival properties, my
prints are made on graded fiber papers, selenium-toned, and mounted
on archival rag board. Other examples of my work can be seen at
my website:
www.AlanSockloffPhotographer.com
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