10/30/2026
When I was 14, I first stepped into a darkroom. I remember the peace that came with the silence and solitude of being alone in that room with my thoughts. The swishing of the tray as I ran the developer over my film. Carefully hanging the film strips to dry, only to rush back in to preview them.
Carefully running my test strips. Selecting the best image, and then enlarging it. Counting down the seconds as shadows came to life in front of my eyes, as dark merged with light. The years I spent in that darkroom will forever be imprinted on my heart. Itβs an experience I deeply miss.
Those shadows and that contrast still shape how we photograph today. We look for the moments where a shadow tells an unexpected story, ways to go beyond the literal and evoke emotion. Every wedding, Iβm still standing over that tray, waiting to see what the light will give me.
-S
