Image Title: Midnight Walk
Image Size: 10"x12" on 11"x14" paper
Created: 2009
Edition of: 40
Medium: Silver Gelatin Print

About The Work

The image, as Roman has told the story, was not planned. He had planned on taking a photograph of the local church where midnight mass was to take place (an image that he in fact did take, See “Midnight Mass”). On his return he noticed this narrow walkway and, in particular the light emanating from the rear of the walkway, from a hidden source. The transition from light to darkness interested him, and he set up to take a photograph. Missing he knew was a sense of movement in the image, and he decided to wait, in hopes that someone would pass by, returning from mass, or otherwise. As fate would have it, shortly thereafter, a young beautiful woman did appear, and he managed to capture her as almost a ghostly image, completing the photograph. The transition from light to dark, and the shadowy outline of the woman present a compelling and thought provoking image, evoking perhaps reflections of the transitions and crossings that we go through in life.

About the Artist

Some photographers believe their strongest work comes from exploring their immediate surroundings. "I think of myself as a regional photographer," Loranc says, "but that does not mean the photography cannot be understood beyond the region. Right now people all over the United States indicate to me that regionalism, born of an informed attachment, has universal appeal." Loranc shoots most of his pictures within an hour's drive of his home in California but he is also interested in exploring his ancestral roots in Europe. For this reason he makes occasional photographic forays into Poland and Lithuania.

"I'm fascinated by the ancient churches of my homeland," he says. "These are holy spaces where millions of people have prayed for hundreds of years. They are places of great humility, and remind us how brief our lives are. I feel the same way when I'm photographing ancient groves of native oaks in California. I was unconscious of this when I began, but upon reflection, I think the oaks are just as sacred as the old cathedrals of Europe. They are sacred in that they have survived for so many years. I'm aware that the native people of California held all living things as divine. For me a grove of Valley Oaks is as sacred as any church in Europe."

"I think about how interconnected the world is," Loranc says. "When I'm out on a crisp winter's morning, shooting a stand of native oaks, I see oak galls hanging from the trees. These were once used to make the pyrogallol chemicals I use to develop my negatives. So the oak trees I am photographing played a part in the developer I use to process my negatives of those trees. It is healthy to remember that we are often linked to the natural world in ways we don't even suspect."

Loranc shapes the photo from start to finish. He operates a 4x5 Linhof field camera, shoots the majority of his photographs with a 210mm Nikkor lens, using Kodak's classic Tri-X film, and hand prints his negatives on multigrade fiber paper. Mr. Loranc is a firm believer that images can best and most genuinely be captured only through the use of film. As such, all of his prints are from film, and the only film he uses is Kodak’s Tri-X, which he has found to be reliable, consistent and, of utmost importance, only of the highest quality. The innate drama of the landscapes is reproduced through a variable split-toning (sepia and selenium) technique. All the printing, spotting, and archival mounting are done by the photographer.

Roman Loranc was born in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, in 1956. He emigrated to the United States in 1981. In 1984 he moved to California, and shortly thereafter fell in love with the Central Valley.

www.RomanLoranc.com