Lith printing— an alternative darkroom process that defies the rules of traditional darkroom printing— is an ideal method for those who are technically disinclined and aesthetically corrupt. Every paper stock and developer reacts differently, making each session somewhat unpredictable.
By using highly diluted lith developers and prolonged development times, shadows swell and deepen while highlights gently recede, giving each print an unusually warm tone and peppery texture.
These prints were made from 4x5 and 8x10 negatives in a bathtub using the most primitive equipment: a bare 10 watt lightbulb, two chemistry trays and a sheet of glass. Their beauty is owed as much to the negative as to the vintage papers they are printed on— for which I will always be grateful to my profoundly talented friend Susan de Witt.