Art On The BeltLine

All portraits are collaborations. This one took on a life of its own and kept us busy for the better part of a hour. Please meet Art On The BeltLine photographer Ken Walters, whose tintypes recall technology of the mid-nineteenth century. Those lengthy exposures may be timed by (what else) an iphone, but owe nothing to electricity. There am I with my digital camera and bicycle. Toxic chemicals remain wet until fixed upon the copper plates inside a portable darkroom. Such an arresting sight on the BeltLine Eastside trail stopped another photographer, this one harkening to the mid-twentieth century. His classic Leica M3 realized the spontaneity promised by film and was a favorite tool of journalists. Never a darkroom guy, I do not miss the chemicals and dedicated workspaces, yet wrapping my mind around the notion of digital files replacing negatives or transparencies took some time. That three eras of photographic processes would converge under the Highland Avenue bridge and not, say, in an art gallery speaks to the connective power of our BeltLine. Please follow this link to a schedule of today's Art On The BeltLine events.