Nick ellison

Experience and Process

I have enjoyed photography since childhood, but eventually I began to tire of the screen time it takes to create digital photographs. I wanted to create a deeper bond with the work itself, but also with my subject. This idea was the catalyst for my exploration with large format cameras and developing prints myself. In using the large format camera, with the limited number of exposures I can make, I have been forced to slow down. I have to evaluate the light and shadow of my subjects, the shapes and contours, the lines and textures.

Take without Taking

Nature photography became my subject organically, it wasn’t even a decision. In creating a deeper bond with the craft of film photography I also formed a deeper connection with the natural world; I have been able to interact with moss, with ice, the branches and roots of a tree, the rush of water, the shape of a rock in a completely new way. It’s a way to take without taking. The delayed and hushed experience of film has allowed me to experience the mystery and beauty of the natural world, which I hope to share with my viewers.

Equipment, Exposure, Development

My primary cameras are two large format cameras. They take sheets of film that are 8x10 inches and 11x14 inches. As these sheets are quite large, the developed negatives must be contact-printed so the size of the print matches the negative. To compare, the typical frame size of a 35mm roll film camera is roughly 1x1.5 inches. As opposed to roll film, each sheet is given singular attention during its exposure and development to ensure the best possible outcome without compromise.

I then print these negatives in a process called Palladium Printing, which was first developed in the late 1800’s. This process starts with a light sensitive mixture of palladium and iron salts which are coated on cotton rag papers. Once dry, the coated paper and negative are placed in a contact frame and exposed to ultraviolet light. The ultraviolet light reduces the palladium metal salt into metallic palladium that forms the image. After exposure, the print is developed in a solution to complete the reduction of the palladium. The print must then be cleared in a solution of citric acid to remove the iron compounds as they would degrade the print. Once washed all that remains is the palladium metal that forms the image.