Thomas Bertilsson’s Meditative B&W
All of Bertilsson’s photography uses traditional film processes and wet darkroom work. Digital has its merits, but he explains, "I don't love digital like I do film, and using a medium you don't love to use will show in the prints."
(All photographs Copyright Thomas Bertilsson, All Rights Reserved; No Reproduction permitted without written permission.)
Thomas Bertilsson is passionate about photography and tries to "photograph what's in his soul." The images are an expression of a state of mind, and the inspiration calls most often when he's photographing close to a large body of water.
Most of the time there's a peaceful feeling to the photographs, almost meditative, and that's the goal, "to make the viewer appreciate the scene the same way I did when I experienced and photographed it."
He's a successful high-tech career man from Minnesota and pursues photography as a passionate avocation. "Photography is something I call my 'insanity asylum' where I can block out the rest of the world and attempt to make one single thing perfect," Bertilsson explains.
He uses a range of cameras, but has lately focused on the 6x6 format. A Hasselblad 500 series system, a ZeroImage 2000 pinhole and a
plastic Holga camera are the current tools. "Equipment can really confuse matters if there is too much to choose from, especially if you want to be in tune with your surroundings. You don't want to be thinking too much about what camera to use. Less is more, the simpler the better," Bertilsson says.
All of his photography utilizes traditional film processes and wet darkroom work. Bertilsson feels that digital has its merits, but explains, "I don't love digital like I do film, and using a medium you don't love to use will show in the prints."
All of his prints are either toned silver gelatin or lith prints. Both exhibit
"Exciting colors and contrast with a radiance," he feels is unobtainable with any other process.
A web site is being created for his business: Monolight, at
In the meantime, prints are on sale at:
http://www.apug.org/forums/portfolios.php?u=395&what=showforsale
MORE PHOTOS, BELOW
BERTILSSON EXPLAINS SOME TECHNICAL DETAILS:
I've mainly used two films in the past: 120 rolls of Kodak Tri-X and Ilford FP4+. They've routinely been developed in Pyro staining developers, or Rodinal.
Lately I've started using a glycin/ppd type developer called Edwal 12, and I'm just putting the testing phase behind me, and with it I'm switching to Fuji
Neopan 400 film, mainly for budget reasons. I'm keeping Pyrocat around too. So one film, two developers from now on, as long as they're available.
When it comes to printing I use both lith developer (AristaLith powder kit) and Ilford Multigrade for standard b&w prints.
I use a multitude of papers for different effects, especially with lith where contrast and color reproduction changes drastically from one emulsion to the next.
I also use a multitude of toners, such as selenium, sepia, thiourea, brown, copper, and halochrome. The bleach used for these toners is diluted for varying
degrees of effect.
The motto is, and always has been: Whatever it takes to get the image to come
alive!
With that said, I am in the process of simplifying my approach, so Ilford Multigrade matte surface papers, both standard and warmtone, will be used for
standard printing, and I'll maintain an arsenal of Foma Fomabrom Variant 112 and Fotokemika Emaks Grade 2, 3, and 4, as well as whatever Agfa Portriga Rapid I
can lay my hands on for lith printing. The Ilford warmtone paper works acceptably for lith printing too, if it's toned afterward.
Thomas Bertilsson’s Meditative B&W