FrancoisDeWynter

Just uploaded two videos - if you are interested in learning about how to process film, or if you are thinking about working with film, these videos will be helpful. While they focus on 120 MM film processing using a Lab-Box, what you learn here is applicable to 35 MM as well.

https://youtu.be/oCmGUeLu3r4

https://youtu.be/mg8NfsBlyhg

The changes within my firm and with my art have been so sweeping I am not sure I can find a coherent starting point.

We knew, more than a decade ago, that there had to be a way to get more information from our raw images. Along the way, we ended up knee deep in physics, specifically studying the work of Nyquist and Shannon. That, in turn, led to a closer look at the work of Lippmann and concluded with the conviction that he wasn't entirely right about the nature of light.

So, now, we are able to take any raw image from any camera we have owned and create an image that has 400% more detail. This isn't an easy process. It is time consuming and requires significant focus on detail. The slightest misstep and it is back to the beginning again. The process has 21 steps.

There is

Along the way, I began working with film - I purchased a Pentax 6x7 circa 1980. I used my first roll of film 15 month ago. I develop my own film, and, after a defective LabBox almost drove me to quit, I have mastered the art. Like everything I do when it comes to photography, I have a ritual and I do not deviate from it. Since the film images are merged into the same process, which we call Ar*tem, unless you specifically know what to look for, you will not be able to distinguish a digital image from one created using film.

Finally, it is important to note that the result of our new process is no longer a photo. We literally strip an image down to its bare pixels and put it back together in a very specific way. We asked friends and people who collect our work to help us find a name for this new form of art. One person suggested "Aura" because we capture the mysterious essence of whatever we photograph. And so it is. As you look at our new work, remember, these aren't photographs. They are Aura.