Each print is handmade by the artist, signed, numbered and part of a limited edition. At no time in the image creating process (from film exposure to film processing/printing, to toning, mounting/matting, and framing) do the images leave the artist's hands.  Images are printed on black and white, fiber base photographic paper, in a traditional wet chemical darkroom.  These are NOT digital prints.  The prints are then Selenium toned, and once dry, they are mounted, matted and waxed to gallery standards for archivability. All images are mounted on acid free, four ply, mat board with over-mats cut from the same.  These prints are guaranteed to last a lifetime.

One of the most powerful of all techniques is the Zone system of exposing negatives. A spotmeter is all you need. It is a basic process.

There are two parts to the Zone system, metering and film development. Metering gives the film the correct exposure in the shadows, and development of the negative adjusts the highlight densities.

The meter always reads at  a middle grey, or Zone V. The meter is also a moron  It measures pure white as Zone V, as well as pure black at Zone V.  A reflective meter, also known as a spotmeter, measures all tones as middle grey. The trick is where you place the tone on the zone scale. Ordinarily, you meter the darkest tone, the lightest tone, and a mid value. The darkest tone with detail in a photographic print is Zone III and the lightest tone with detail is Zone VII or VIII. Say you meter a white, and you wanted it a fully detailed white. You just give the film two or three stops more exposure from what the meter indicates. For example:  with a Zone III black, you underexpose by two stops, say the meter reads a shadowed area with dark textures at f5.6 at 1/60 of a second. You would then under expose the film two f-stops at f11 at 1/60 of a second.

The development of the negative is what determines the highlight value, or "density".  When the highlight area falls on Zone VII or VIII (2 to 3 stops over the meter reading), you develop the film normally. When the highlights are too bright (i.e. on Zone X), then you develop the film for less time than normal. The general rule for development is: 15 percent equals one stop of exposure development. So, if you put your shadow density on zone III, and the highlight falls on Zone X, but you want the highlight density at Zone VIII, then develop the film for 30 percent less time. This is a basic starting point.

What makes a photograph luminous?  A luminous photograph looks good under both gallery lighting and in a dark room. How is that possible? It is possible due to the tonality of the photo, or where/what are the tones, and how they relate to each other. There is a certain range of tones within the highlights, the shadows, as well as a balance between the highlight and shadow. A photograph doesn't need to have a pure white to be bright, or a pure black to be dark. The photo will have a texture like quality, a three dimensional "feel" beyond the surface of the print. Each image has unique tonal characteristics, which are enhanced through careful printing.  Tonality is highly subjective.

The negative contains the information which you recorded. The goal for using the Zone System of exposure and development is produce a usable negative, one which has enough density in the highlights and shadows to print the final image. There is no such thing as a perfect negative!  As Ansel once said, "the negative is the score; the print is the performance." After evaluating the proof or work print, decide how the final print will look. This may be pre-visualized, post-visualized, or just visualized, it doesn't matter. I start with a base contrast and exposure, then enhance the print with dodging and burning, often using various contrast filters. I use a pyro developed negative, along with a cold light which allows a higher contrast in the shadows, and a long tonal scale in the highlights.  Occasionally, I selenium tone all or part of a negative to enhance characteristics.  One can use darkroom techniques to turn a mediocre scene captured on a negative, into something special on the final print.  There are many steps to realizing the finished print.