About The Photographs

Norm's studio photos and indoor images are all shot using natural light with black and white film, usually Kodak TMax, selecting a speed which is appropriate to the setting. The film is developed in his darkroom with a developer that enhances the 'graininess' of the film and then handprinted and sepia toned. Outdoor images are shot with infrared film. This film is 'heat sensitive' rather than 'light sensitive' and gives a very dramatic look to the landscape.

Each image is individually handcolored with colored pencils and oil paints. The first several are done by me, subsequent ones are colored by myself and my daughter, Farah.

The sale of these photographs is my primary income and I have been supporting myself for over 25 years at art fairs. My first darkroom was built by my father in a basement closet when I was 13. You might say photography is my life.

Norm's recent work has all been hand-colored. A hand-colored photo is one that starts out as a black and white print. The color is added by the artist with colored pencils and oil paints. It is similar to the old photographs that used to be made in portrait studios before the invention of color film.

These photos are unusual in that they don't look like any photos that you have seen before. There are several reasons. First, the subject matter is almost always white in color. Norm carefully arranges or selects his subject matter so there are no dark tones. Second, they are taken with black and white film, developed to have a special "graininess",printed, and thensepia-toned.Third, after drying they are each individually hand-colored.Because of this coloring process no two are exactly alike. The outdoor photos though are taken with infrared film. This film is "heat sensitive" instead of the usual "light sensitive" and gives a very dramatic look to the landscape.

All of the prints are handmade, limited editions of 250, signed and numbered. Painstaking care is taken with the complete presentation of the finished product, from an exhausting search for the finest image, handprinting, coloring, mounting and then framing in a rag mat with a quality frame especially chosen to enhance these photographs.

Where do his photos come from? Usually a prop or situation will suggest itself. In the "TUB SERIES", e.g., an idea will come to him and then the challenge will be the design of the vision and the question of "how do I get what is in my mind to actually come into existence?" Then, the gathering of the props and sometimes months of rearranging pieces of the set, shooting it under different lighting condictions and minute adjustments until what is in his mind's eye exists on the film.

After the shooting he develops the film in his 17' x 24' darkroom, prints it and then plans the coloring. Each photo is an original as each one is handcolored. Then the photos are ready to show to you.