Bobby Chitrakar
We’re seriously impressed with Bobby Chitrakar’s work. He has a real talent for luminous B&W, and he loves making photos with the traditional wet darkroom approach.
Chitrakar is totally self taught, works in all film formats from 35mm to large format, and says about 99% of his photos are B&W. He tells us about his work, below:
(All photos copyright Bobby Chitrakar, All Rights Reserved.)
I am a self-taught B&W film photographer. I used to be a painter. I moved around a lot and stopped painting. When I settled down in Portland, Oregon I became interested in photography and started to dabble in it. I started out taking color photographs. I ended up getting a job at a film photo lab where we did primarily color work. One day I developed a roll of 35mm B&W negative for a customer. The instance I got my first glimpse of those B&W negatives, I was seduced by the tonality of B&W film. That was about a decade ago. Since then, I have been hooked on B&W film photography.
In my opinion, color photography has an instant appeal but does not sustain interest in the long term. However, B&W film photography is enjoyable eternally. This is the reason I do 99% black and white photography.
I work in all formats: 35 mm, medium format and large format. I use a couple of Leicas, Rolleiflexes, Rolleicords, 4 x 5 cameras, a Holgamod and an assortment of other 35mm cameras.
Since I took up B&W photography, I have had my own darkrooms. I have always lived in studio apts. so my darkrooms have either been in my bedroom or my kitchen. For several years when I was working as a live-in caregiver to a handicapped man, my bedroom + darkroom was so small that my enlarger was right next to my head. In those days, the last thing I saw before going to bed and the first thing I saw waking up every morning was my enlarger. I was a happy camper! Currently my tiny kitchen doubles up as a darkroom. It gets quite tight in there but I make do. For me, taking photographs and printing is the whole package. I enjoy both activities immensely and could not do one without the other.
As far as staying with film, I find working with film in a wet darkroom to be a very organic experience and get great joy from it. Personally, I have not had that kind of experience with digital.I
I am 46 years old, and originally from Kathmandu, Nepal. I have been living in Portland for about 12 years. Currently unemployed. I have a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Painting from the University of Maine.
I am self-taught in photography. I have never taken a class, course or workshop in Photography. I’m reluctant to say who my favorite photographers are because I like and am influenced by all the great black and white photographers, both well known and not.
Bobby Chitrakar; self portrait
