Ron Dobrowski, Silver Gelatin Retro

October 4 – October 30, 2024
Artist reception on Saturday October 5 from 1-5 pm (calendar)

The O’Brien Photo Gallery
2833 Willamette, Ste. B
Eugene, OR 97405
(541) 729-3572
Open Monday through Friday from 1-5 pm.
Call to be sure we are open
https://www.waltobrien.net/the…

Montana is where my photographic journey began. My early years were spent on a farm in the rural eastern edge of the state. I went on to study and earn a degree in photography at Montana State University. It was there that I was convinced of photography’s enormous importance as a medium for communication and self expression. I was also drawn to the combination of technical knowledge and aesthetic considerations needed to achieve any level of competence in the media.

My technical approach to black & white photography follows traditional, film based techniques. Medium format film cameras are used as well as a traditional darkroom where I develop the film and print the photographs. Selenium toning is used on all but the smallest prints to enhance the final appearance and to increase the archival qualities of the image. These are methods that I have employed since studying photography at MSU.

My photographs are produced in numbered, limited editions and are matted and framed using archival materials. Although my technical approach is ‘old school’, I strive to produce contemporary artworks that show a unique vision, emphasizes content and evoke a response on various levels.

I work out of my home and studio in Springfield, Oregon.

Silver Gelatin – what is it?

Silver Gelatin photography methods were developed in the 19th century and became the standard way of producing black & white photographs for much of the 20th century. It has a rich tradition of journalistic as well creative fine art photography that spans several decades. Well known mid century artists such as Edward Weston, Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and countless others produced a lifetime’s work using silver gelatin as their primary photographic process.

The term ‘silver gelatin’ refers to the coating on the photographic paper which consists of light sensitive silver halides suspended in a flexible gelatin emulsion. It is this coating that enables the paper to reveal an image when exposed to light, usually passed through a black & white negative, and then processed in chemistry consisting of a developer, stop bath and fixer. It’s science and chemistry but it seems like magic.