Curtis Salonick, a self-taught freelance photographer, has always been fascinated by art; it's creativity and discipline. For Curt, his artistic direction began when he received his first 35 mm. camera, at age 16. Since, at that time, he was an avid outdoors person, it only makes sense that his first photographs were of the woods and wildlife. It was due to a natural disaster, a flood in our community, that he began his career as a freelance photographer. He soon moved from 35 mm. to medium format, developing both his skills in the darkroom and field, as he progressed. Not content with traditional aspects of photography, he wanted to find a more creative outlet to express himself.
His first success came with the development of a process where he would use litho film to mask certain areas of a Ciba-Chrome print. This final print he called a Litho-Chrome since it involved both litho film and Ciba-Chrome print material. The next, and more significant step came in August of 1989 when he happened upon an empty warehouse space. This space triggered a kind of metamorphosis in his work. He went from color and nature to 4' x 5' and B&W (using a cambo superwide with a 65mm. lens) to the use of models and, at first, the creation of limited sets and props, mostly what he could find, i.e., flea markets. This quickly accelerated to more elaborate sets and props, much of which he now made himself. In the formation of the props, one of the most important aspects is the painting and how it relates to the B&W genre.
He next moved from the warehouse to his own space, measuring approximately 6' x 9' x 15' long. This afforded him easier access and convenience. He could now schedule photo sessions when he wanted to. A typical shoot would last between 1 and 1 1/2 hours and would expose as many as 50 sheets of film that would consist of between 5 and 8 different scenes. The images would revolve around the interaction with the model. Most if the images taken are not whole themselves, they are just one component of what might be several other images to complete a final dramatic image. The process developed over the years of searching utilizes B&W 4' x 5' duplicating film to transfer individual parts of an original negative in the creation of a multi-layered negative from which the final prints are made. The style that resulted he likes to refer to as Gothic Surrealism. Another important aspect of the process is the use of what he refers to as 'screens'. These are patterns found in nature or made by man, that repeat a particular pattern. These are then combined, to some degree, in the final image.
Art is created by man, not random circumstances; it is the manipulation of his craft, the making of something new. This is not to say that the other forms of photography are not just as inspiring or beautiful. It is Curt's opinion: 'God Created Man and Man Created Art' /CS
Curtis Salonick joined Pixels.com Licensing on November 7th, 2013.
