Happy Accidents

I’ve been making photographic prints this week and the results have been stranger (and in many ways, better) than expected. Just look at this one.

It’s a small print, only 3.5 x 5”. If you’re looking at this on a phone, it’s just a touch smaller than actual size. I liked it right away, but when I scanned it at high resolution and zoomed in, it revealed a whole universe of textures.

I especially love these white drips and splotches—the result of the fixer chemicals getting on the paper before the developing stage. They reminded me of Julian Schnabel’s surfer paintings, with their drippy, amorphous white shapes.

Julian Schnabel, Painting for Malik Joyeux and Bernardo Bertolucci, 2006

Then there are the fingerprints from handling the paper too early, the glowing spots, and the colored edges from chemical contamination.

Most photographers would probably consider this print a total failure—but I’m actually looking for ways to encourage more of these “errors.” This process feels somewhere between photography and painting.

Part of the joy of working this way is the surprise. Each print is completely unique.

People say you have to learn the rules before you can break them. But actually, you can start breaking them right away.