Alex Hawley is a fine art photographer living in New Strawn, Kansas, USA. Using Large Format cameras, his work concentrates on life in rural America, its architecture, and landscapes. Mostly self-taught, Alex’s photographic experience began as a young child on a farm in Western Kansas. His parents were active in photography for many years during this period. He learned basic darkroom film and print techniques and was exposed to many facets of the medium. Education, family, and career took him away from photography for many years. He returned to it in 1999, setting up a black and white home darkroom similar to that in which he had learned on the farm. Soon, he was processing his own film and developing his own prints. Desiring better-than-average quality in his work, Alex began using the 4x5 and 8x10 formats in 2003. His favored technique is contact printing the large format negatives on Azo silver chloride paper. Significant influences in his photographic vision include Edward Weston, Walker Evans, Wright Morris, Richard Avedon, Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee. Public recognition of Alex’s photography came in late 2004 when “Yates Center Co-Op” was selected for publication in the prestigious B&W Magazine. The article, published in the February 2005 edition, featured several artists belonging to the Analog Photography User’s Group website, APUG.com. In the Spring of 2005, Alex was selected as Top Overall Winner in the First Annual EMULSION Magazine photo contest. In addition to placing first overall, his photo “Barn Siding” took first place in the Abstract category. Among the judges in this contest was the renowned photographer Henry Gilpin of Malibu, California

All of my B&W photos are taken with a wooden Deardorff 8x10 Field Camera equipped with vintage Commercial Ektar and Goerz Dagor lenses.  A reducing back allows use of 4x5 sheet film and various Polaroid films.  Films used include J&C Classic Pan 200 and 400, Kodak Tri-X, and Polaroid Type 55 positive/negative.  Sheet films are developed in trays by inspection using ABC Pyro or Pyrocat-HD developers.  The result is each negative is custom developed on its own. 

The contact prints are printed on Kodak Azo paper.  Azo has been in production for over one hundred years and is the last silver chloride contact printing paper on the market.  There is a small community of artist using Azo because in their opinion, there is no other photographic paper, including all platinum and other "alternative" papers, that consistently rival the depth, luminosity, and tonal range of photographs printed on Azo.  This loyal artistic following of Azo has kept it in production. 

However, Kodak recently announced that it will cease production of all black and white photographic papers by the end of 2005.  It is estimated that there is a five year supply of Azo remaining at current demand levels, but its fate has now been sealed.  Although a search for a replacement is underway, it is certain that the production of artistic work on authentic Azo is coming to an end.

Each print is fixed twice, toned in selenium, then archivally washed for lasting permanence.

I still make a few enlarged prints from 4x5 large format or 6x6 medium format negatives.  These are printed on a variety of enlarging papers following the same basic process as described for the contact prints.