I am a passionate traditional photographer and Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society in the Visual Arts Category. I am also a member of the Arena Group which has been a great source of personal development and inspiration. My work has been widely published and exhibited and is featured in sixteen photographic books. My first solo book “Light Sensitive” was commissioned and published by Arem Publishing in Feb 2004. 

My path into photography ~
Like many people, I started out in photography by taking colour photographs.  Mainly as a means of recording important moments in family life, conscious that small things are all too easily forgotten.  But I was soon intrigued by the creative potential of photography, particularly as a means of personal expression. I decided I needed to learn more. I then attended a range of courses and specialist workshops.

One course, introduced me to the world of monochrome and I was instantly captivated by the purity and simplicity of the medium.  I sought to master the skills to process and print my own work and this proved to be a defining moment.  Enthused by the ability to control the evolution of the image at every stage of the creative process, my passion for monochrome work became complete.  Since that time, almost 15 years ago, I have worked exclusively with black and white film.

The majority of my pictures are unplanned.  I prefer to work intuitively, responding to what I see and feel, striving to capture the essence of a place in that fleeting moment during which the film is exposed. Choosing that perfect moment is always a challenge.

Whether photographing a lonely woodland, a restless sea or a forgotten corner of the manmade world, I always aim to show a sensitivity and an awareness to the ever-changing qualities of light, and interplay between this and my subject.  In my infrared work I try to portray an almost otherworldly quality, seeking to transport the viewer into a dreamlike world

The finish of my work is vital and so I continue to print all my work by hand in the darkroom using a variety of neutral, warm and art fibre based photographic papers using archival processes.  Quite often I choose to tone my photographs, or use hand colouring oils, to further enhance the mood I am intending to portray.

Kathy Harcom – June 2005