URBAN SNOWFLAKES

The first Urban Snowflake I ever made was a product of something I found rather vapid… my own photos. I had captured some nighttime images of urban construction sites on my Holga 120n. While the negatives were well made, the contents just looked plain and reductive. And because I have a burning disdain for creating reductive work, there was a need to create something… better. At that moment, I knew those pictures weren’t anything on their own. Rather, what I had were unique raw materials to create with.

 

The process and the resulting images in this series are a product of creative experimentation. Of not giving up on a thing. Of really diving deep into your craft and challenging the normal flow. Each piece in the series is made through multiple exposures of one negative onto one piece of photographic paper. It required creating new techniques and tools to achieve the results. Behind each successful piece are failed attempts, moments of clarity, frustration, and elation.

 

Urban Snowflakes are one of those funny, serendipitous things in life because the results unexpectedly resemble the process. These kaleidoscope-like images draw a viewer deeper into an otherwise mundane picture. It is a complex yet beautiful creation that reflects the act of going past the surface to discover something new.