Film Photography News

A couple weeks ago we shared a revealing visit to the home of iconic American photographer Edward Weston. In the video below you’ll take a virtual tour of Weston’s darkroom, guided by his grandson fine art photographer Kim Weston.

This visit is hosted by Mark Silber of Advancing Your Photography and explores how the master developed and printed his famous images. You’ll also hear a few stories about what made Westin so special as an artist and a person.

Born in 1886, Weston is credited with revolutionizing photography with a unique approach that combined precise composition while often shooting at extremely long exposures. As Kim Westin recalls, his grandfather’s still-life photography was often compared to sculptures.

Westin employed a very simple darkroom workflow and he typically avoided using an enlarger. You’ll see the basic tools he used for burning and dodging and hear how he was careful to expose images in-camera. As Kim Westin says, “most of his exposures were “bulletproof.”

Westin’s slow and meticulous method of developing negatives for up to 30 minutes is referred to as “developing by inspection,” and you’ll hear some charming anecdotes about how his approach to shooting and developing differed dramatically from those of Ansel Adams.

There’s much more of interest on Silber’s YouTube channel, and be sure to watch our recent video with an intimate tour of Westin's home,