Andrew Sovjani

My photography is about the study of light and subtle relationships within a scene. Like in the traditional Japanese poetry form of Haiku, I am attempting to communicate the natural beauty in the everyday world around us that often goes unnoticed in our modern, usually hectic lives. By slowing down and seeing deeply, I am attempting to distill the visual chaos into a photographic image that reveals the essence or otherness of its subject. I use only available light to capture my images on large or medium format film. The quiet light that I seek demands exceptionally long exposures, sometimes keeping the lens open for more than 30 minutes at a time. I believe that the printing of each negative constitutes the performance of the idea captured on film. I will never outsource this critical part of the process. I print each of my toned silver-gelatin photographs myself in a traditional darkroom using time-tested techniques and craft.