Binh Danh

i visited an amazing photo exhibit yesterday. it was a 2fer. the first part of the exhibit was aperture remix, which featured the work of a number of contemporary photographers doing work in the style of the photographer who influenced them, these photos were exhibited alongside the inspirational work!

the second part was - after ansel adams, a collection of work by adams and contemporary photographers working the the 'adams' tradition. 

the standout work for me were daguerreotypes made by Binh Danh.

i've noticed that as digital mediums become more and more advanced and accessible, traditional process are making a return. Photographers like Sally Mann are working with wet plate collodion and Chuck Close as well as Binh Danh are making daguerreotypes.

Danh has been making daguerreotypes of places like angkor wat and desert scenes, but the daguerreotypes i saw were of yosemite. 

oh good god, they were the most beautiful things i've seen in a long ass time. little jewels. these photos don't do them justice. 

daguerreotypes are sheets of silver coated copper, exposed and traditionally developed using warmed mercury. you can't enlarge or make copies, you could scan and make photos of them, but the original on metal is a singular thing. they glisten and shimmer.

now you know what to get me for x-mas.