PHOTOGRAPHY SPOTLIGHT: Scott Speck

Scott Speck's photography is so stunning that my mouth hung open for about five minutes the first time I saw one of his photos.  There was something about the contrasts, the angles, the absolute artistry behind each shot that takes photography to a whole other level of artistic mastery.  Then I found out they are all pinhole photographs.  This explains two things: Scott is an artist whose medium is the camera, and he is a craftsman who has honed his work to a state that nears perfection.  Here is what he had to say about his technique and some of his work:

I became interested in pinhole photography about four years ago.  My cameras are made of wood and metal, and they contain no lens -- only a small pinhole in the front of the camera.  My camera uses no electronics, is completely manual, and does not allow me to look through the camera to compose a photograph -- everything is done external to the camera.  I use medium and large format film for my work in both black/white and color, and my exposure times range from 1 sec (bright, outdoor scenes) to 1 hour (dark interiors, like dimly lit cathedrals).  The pinhole's unique optical characteristic is that it affords infinite depth of field, whereby all parts of a scene, no matter how close (0.5mm) or how far (infinity), are equally in focus.  This permits one to explore perspective, dimensionality, and an intimacy of texture.  My large format (4x5) pinhole camera affords an ultrawide field of view of 160 degrees, with no edge curvatures as occurs with a fisheye lens.  My favorite subjects are architectures, portraits, and landscapes.  I have had my work published in books and magazines, my work has won awards in juried competitions, and I frequently show my work in galleries, by invitation.  I also conduct interviews and pinhole photography seminars.  Prints of my works are available for sale upon request, and I enjoy doing commissioned pinhole photography for individuals, couples, music bands, etc.  Through the pinhole, I create the surreal from the real.  No other form of artistic expression has ever felt so right to me.


Foot Bridge in the Mist 


Fuji Acros 100 4x5 b/w film, 30 second exposure time,
foot bridge in Ellicott City, Maryland, during a misty rain.


Gothic Glory




Fuji Acros 100 4x5 b/w film, 35 minute exposure time,
National Cathedral in Washington, DC.


Forest in Wind




Fuji 160 4x5 color film, 3 minute exposure time, Spruce Knob
Mountain in West Virginia.


Patterns of Force




Kodak TMAX 400 4x5 b/w film, 5 second exposure time, Kelly
Kalac modeling.



Transcending




Kodak TMAX 400 4x5 b/w film, 3 second exposure time, Mount Vernon
district of the city of Baltimore, Kelly Kalac modeling.


Madrid Cathedral




Fuji Acros 100 4x5 b/w film, 15 minute exposure time, 
Madrid Cathedral, Spain.


Magnolia




Fuji Acros 100 6x6 b/w film, 30 second exposure time, magnolia blossom.



DC Metro




Fuji Acros 100 4x5 b/w film, 25 minute exposure time, Metro Center metro
station, Washington, DC.


Visit Scott's site: www.scottspeck.com