About the Artist
I am a photographer from Bellingham, WA and enjoy using both film and digital to capture my work. My eye is drawn to outdoor scenery and the natural beauty of the world we live in.
While taking photographs is one of my favorite things to do I also enjoy the technical aspects behind photography. Over the years I’ve learned to use 35mm, 120, and 4x5 cameras, develop my own film, print in the darkroom, and I’m beginning to learn the basics of camera repair. I love learning all that goes into making an image and helping others to learn as well. I’ve taught the basics of photography and film photography in both classroom and individual settings. The world of photography is vast and I want all who are interested to be confident in starting their photography journey.
About the Project
Early in 2023 I learned that coffee (with a couple additional ingredients) could be used to develop photographic film. This developer is referred to as Caffenol. Now, being a film photographer and avid coffee drinker, this intrigued me. I could combine two of my favorite things! I began to wonder if I could take pictures of coffee being roasted and then develop and print those images using the coffee from that roaster.
After months of research and testing I had a formula that used espresso and worked consistently. I approached Makeworth and asked if they’d be willing to let me photograph their roasting process. They were kind enough to agree, and even donated some extra coffee for me to use for my project.
Once I had the photos I began working on making silver gelatin prints in the darkroom. Print developer requires much more volume with each print session taking 1-2 liters of straight espresso. Printing sessions took an average of 6 hours and resulted in only a few prints of the same image. If you are curious about the details of my process please visit my blog where I’ll have writeups about my thoughts and methods used to complete this project (blog work in progress).
I would like to say thank you to Alanna, Tim, Corey, and the rest of the crew at Makeworth for making not only possible but very fun! Thank you also to the folks at Quicksilver Photo Lab for allowing me to use their darkroom for countless developing and printing sessions. This would not have happened without them.
I learned a lot throughout this whole process and look forward to working with more roasters and trying other developing methods in the future.
Wade GG
