At the Confluence, Corvallis, Oregon, 2010 - platinum/palladium contact print

A native of Ohio and an Oregonian since 1976, I took up large-format photography in 1985, and ever since have enjoyed a romance with the iconic, the serene, and the patina of things past their prime. In recent years I have been chronicling the disappearing traces of Oregon's bygone days, photographing with 8x10 and 5x7 cameras and printing exclusively in the traditional platinum process, the most permanent and tonally rich printing medium known. Most recently (since 2009), I have been doing some exciting work with a cigar box that I turned into a pinhole camera outfitted with a 5x7 film back. The pinhole has reinvigorated my enthusiasm for photography by creating a liberating sense of chance and serendipity that today's precision digital cameras cannot match. Rich Bergeman Rich Bergeman website