Each handprint is made entirely by hand: exposed, developed, and finished in the darkroom, one by one.
There are no reproductions, no automation, no editions.
Every print is a direct contact between the original negative and the light-sensitive paper, where light draws its image once, precisely as it was captured.
Because every exposure is unique, each piece carries its own character: small variations in light, tone, or chemistry that can never be repeated.
These differences are not imperfections — they are what make each print singular, unrepeatable, and alive.
A contact print is not just an image; it’s a material object, shaped by time, touch, and light.
Every handprint is made one at a time: exposed, developed, and finished entirely by hand.
There is no automation, no reproduction. Each print carries the trace of its own making: the density of the light, the small shift of a negative, the rhythm of development in the tray.
In contact printing, the image is not enlarged. The negative rests directly on the paper, emulsion to emulsion, and light travels through it once, precisely as it was captured.
That direct encounter defines everything: the tone, the sharpness, the atmosphere.
Because each exposure is unique, every print becomes a singular object.
Variations in light, timing, chemistry, and water temperature alter the final result in subtle, unrepeatable ways. These differences are not imperfections; they are the mark of process, the evidence that each piece was made by hand, in its own moment, never twice the same.
When the print is finished, it’s framed in a rigid handmade paper passepartout, crafted to protect it during its journey and to preserve its tactile presence.
The result is not just an image, but an object: a one-of-one photograph, shaped by time, touch, and light.
Each print begins with two originals: a developed negative and a sheet of silver gelatin paper.
They are handled in low light, where every action must be intentional.
Dust, fingerprints, humidity — everything leaves a trace.
Nothing is automated. Each decision, each gesture, remains visible in the final piece.
The negative is placed directly on the emulsion of the paper.
They must meet perfectly — surface to surface, emulsion to emulsion.
A pane of glass holds them in full contact.
Even the slightest unevenness changes the final sharpness, making each print unique by nature.
Light passes through the negative and impresses itself onto the paper beneath.
Exposure time is guided by observation — the tone of the light, the density of the film, the paper’s own response.
No two prints are ever identical; each is a dialogue between material and moment.
The paper is immersed in developer.
The image emerges gradually — soft, then defined, then whole.
I stop the process when the balance feels exact: when shadows are deep but still open, and highlights still hold air.
Each print carries its own equilibrium.
Once developed, the print is fixed to make it permanent, then washed thoroughly in clean water.
This stage removes all chemical residue and stabilizes the silver image.
The water, temperature, and timing vary slightly with every session — subtle differences that make each print singular.
The print is dried flat and left to rest.
When dry, I examine it carefully — tone, edges, surface.
Every small irregularity belongs to the process; it is part of the print’s identity.
No copy exists. Each is its own original.
Before leaving the studio, every print is framed within a rigid, handmade paper passepartout.
This is not just presentation — it’s protection.
The tactile frame shields the surface during transport and emphasizes the print’s material nature.
Paper meets paper: the print becomes both image and object, preserved in its own crafted enclosure until it reaches its final destination.
No two prints are ever identical.
Every handprint is the result of a slow, deliberate process: made by hand from start to finish.
Each one carries the physical traces of its creation: the pressure of contact, the density of the light, the small shifts that occur only once.
These are not imperfections, but the fingerprints of the process itself, the quiet marks that make every print distinct and alive.
Even within the same series, each one carries its own balance of light and touch, a quiet difference that makes it personal and alive.
Each handprint is made to order, created in the darkroom with the same care and precision as the original work.
If you’d like to receive one, or learn more about the available pieces, I’d be happy to share more details with you.