Anna Swartz
The feeling you get as you watch the moon rise on a clear autumn evening, a familiar scent stirring up fond memories, holding a loved one in a close embrace. These are life's moments that stop us in our tracks. Moments of awe that fill our hearts and leave us breathless. The emotion of these moments are what I aim to capture with you on camera.
I am a seeker of Awe, endlessly overcome by the majesty surrounding us - nature, music, art, love, literature. As an artist, I approach my work through an interdisciplinary style. Holding a B.A. in Studio Art, I learned technique and creativity through the use of film in the darkroom. I take this same care and approach to my digital work; any images with edits are done thoughtfully and sparingly.
My goal is to preserve beauty the way it truly occurred.
Film work
Having been intrigued by the tangible technicality of film, I began shooting, processing and printing in the darkroom in 2011. Over the years, I have worked with many cameras from homemade pinhole cameras to twin lens reflex cameras to more modern 35mm.
In early 2020, through the generosity of many, I built a fully functioning darkroom where I am able to develop 35mm and 120mm black and white film, as well as develop archival silver gelatin prints in the traditional manner.
Film draws me with the juxtaposition of technical skill and enchanting creativity. Witnessing the magic of development, I see the full circle of photography from setting up the shot and managing exposure, to developing the film negatives all the way to a final print. There is no greater reward than this type of art and work.
a view inside my studio darkroom, 2020