November, First Snow

This snowy hillside is near Mineral Point, Wisconsin. I had noticed the hill and especially the two trees many times while driving that country route. That morning, I woke up and saw the snow, it was early, I grabbed my camera, a Fujifilm X-20, and captured this scene in low light. The colors in this print are subtle but present. It is not monochromatic.

The uneven black border is inspired by an old-school "full-frame" darkroom printing technique in which the rectangle in the negative holder is slightly larger than exposed frame of film. This gap along the sides of the negative allows enlarger light to expose the photo paper along the edges, producing a deep, black, often irregular border. Sometimes the brand or type of film would print in that edge space.  Back in the day, I used this "full frame" effect in the darkroom from time to time.

Details

• Paper Size: 13 x 16.5 inches
• Image Size: About 10.5 x 14 inches
• Margins: about 1.25 inches
• Paper: 100% cotton rag paper. Natural, off-white color with no optical brighteners. The paper's warmth and subtle texture add nuanced, artistic quality.
• Edition of 5 prints. Prints are numbered in lower left and signed "Olson" in lower right.
• Date: 2018