Alan McKernan

A lecturer in Photography at Liverpool College, Alan uses the traditional medium of silver based black & white photography, combined with specialist hand-printing techniques. Alan produces hauntingly atmospheric images that re-draw the landscapes of both Liverpool & Formby.

Artist Statement:

As a photographer, I’ve long been fascinated by, and experimented with, the ever-changing quality of light as it plays upon the landscape; sculpting and re-defining it. My goal is to celebrate the ephemeral qualities of light, utilising photography.

I have distanced myself from the immediacy of contemporary digital photography. Instead, I have engaged with traditional silver-based film to record my alternative images.

By comparison with the casual capture of a digital image, the production cycle I use is slow and deliberate. I begin with careful observation of the subject matter over time. Progression to the camera work is only possible when I consider the lighting conditions are appropriate to sculpt the landscape, highlighting the qualities I wish to re-present to the viewer. The conjuring of the image continues in the darkroom. My revival of the specialist craft skills of hand-printing enables me to harness the power of light twice; firstly with the camera, secondly with the enlarger in the darkroom. In this way I am able to personalise the final interpretation of the negative, with the production of the final silver-gelatin print.

Contact:

Email: a.mckernan@btopenworld.com