Echoes of Self

Echoes of Self is a seven-chapter self-portrait series with the self as the universal subject, examining the reverberations of my identity through time and experience. Shot on hand-coated 4x5" dry plates.

Echoes of Self is a self-portrait series with the self as the universal subject, examining the reverberations of my identity through time and experience. Shot on hand-coated 4x5" dry plates, the inherent defects and intentional defects like light leakage are metaphors for imperfections in life. Extruded time adds to the dreamlike and outer-world aesthetic. Echoes of Self consists of seven chapters. Each chapter will consist of 10 - 20 photos. The submitted photos are Chapter Two, "Whispers of Dreams."

The first two chapters, "Travel Memories" and "Whispers of Dreams" have been photographed. See https://fineart.schlessphotography.com/echoes-of-self. The remaining chapters are:

• Echoes of Self – Ties that Bind

• Echoes of Self – Silent Horizons

• Echoes of Self – Traces of Belonging

• Echoes of Self – Reflection of Tomorrow

• Echoes of Self – The Pulse of Nature

The intention is to print these chapters in platinum-palladium for gallery presentation and to create a leporello book for each chapter with a slipcase for the seven books.

The gelatin-silver for the dry plates is difficult to make and costly. About 250 plates are still needed. The platinum-palladium chemicals and printing seven leporello books and a slipcase are expensive.

I am currently working on my MFA in Photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA, USA, and this work is part of my thesis work, which will presented at my graduation exhibition in Dec. 2025. In 2025, I plan to finish three more chapters and the remaining two chapters in 2026.