Pine Ridge 2004

This photograph, Pine Ridge, was created by John Willis using traditional darkroom techniques. The image, with its stark monochrome palette, achieves a sense of timelessness through its very materiality. The choice of black and white film invites us to consider the technical processes involved: the careful exposure, the development process, and the printing in the darkroom. These traditional methods contrast sharply with the immediacy of digital photography today. This craft infuses the image with a certain weight. The setting and the subjects in the photograph also contribute to the picture's meaning. The photograph prompts us to consider the unseen labor that sustains both its creation and the lives of its subjects. By emphasizing the materiality and making of this photograph, we can better appreciate its deeper cultural and social implications.