Author: Stephen Riley

Stephen Riley

I grew up in the film era. My family had a 127-format camera (a Benicini comet) which I took over and learnt the basics of exposure by trial and error. I studied Biochemistry in Uni and worked for many years in Clinical Chemistry often using and adapting film like techniques (thin layers of chemical “soup” adhered to a flexible base) to analyse biomarkers. During this period, I began an obsessive relationship with photography, starting with Kodachrome transparencies and the brilliant Cibachrome printing system. However, this system was expensive, so I turned to black and white photography, doing everything from film exposure to developing to enlarging – from 35mm to large format. I am very interested in the different qualities that films have both inherently and enhanced by a specific developer. Composition is another key factor – due to time spent in Asia I have been influenced by classic Chinese and Japanese print artists (eg Hiroshige). But I am not a complete luddite – I am currently exploring digital negatives for traditional processes such as Cyanotypes!