I’ve included this section to address questions I’m often asked (generally by other photographers) about camera equipment and printing techniques and so forth.
     I should forewarn the reader that this sort of material can quickly glaze the eyeballs of those not infatuated with the arcane minutiae of specialized technical disciplines.
     In any case, my own methods and materials are not very different from those used by photographers a hundred years ago.  This is partly because I’m contrary by nature and partly because I’ve found that my chosen tools are simply the best for achieving the results I’m after.

     As a general rule, it seems I try and do things in as slow and as difficult a manner as is humanly possible.
     The photographs on this site were made utilizing a variety of cameras, from 35mm and 6x7cm medium format models to 4”x5” and 8”x10” view cameras.  My primary instrument of late is a wooden Ebony view camera made by Mr. Hiromi Sakanashi of Tokyo, Japan.  Though somewhat unwieldy (my current setup weighs about 35 pounds) this camera creates a negative that is 8x10 inches, allowing for prints that posses an almost uncanny clarity.
     I carry three lenses: a wide-angle Schneider G-Claron 240, a standard Fujinon 300C, and a moderate telephoto Fujinon 450C.  I use the ‘normal’ lens for a surprising majority of my photographs.
     For the most part, I prefer the older, traditional films (such as Ilford HP5 or Kodak Tri-X) over the T-max type emulsions.  While I have tried the ‘new’ films, I find I don’t much like their tonal qualities; to my eyes they seem a little thin and strange to say, ‘synthetic’ looking.
      I print my images on fiber-based papers, developed in Dektol and then selenium toned.
      It often takes me many attempts before I make a print that satisfies me.

     My darkroom is a primitive hovel.  The entire structure lists to starboard like a sinking ship, and if the ceiling
    

were an inch lower, I would have to shuffle around stooped over like an ape.
     In addition to forcing me to print sitting down (my enlarger wouldn’t fit otherwise) the low ceiling height restricts my maximum print size to 11”X14”. I don’t view this as a hindrance, for I quite like the intimacy of smaller prints.  After all, Edward Weston certainly did alright with his 8”X10”s; little jewels all.
     Like most photographers, I have, over the years, developed my own set of rituals and I’ll admit, outright voodoo in order to extract good prints from the darkroom.  While these procedures certainly benefit my photographs, (perhaps to the extent that they influence my own mind) they are secondary to my simple belief that good photographs result from caring deeply for my subjects, and attempting to repay them by doing them justice in the best way that I can.