Photographer in asheville- frozen portraits

“thawing queen” 2019

freezing silver

Art can be born out of procrastination.
It was to be our first big freeze of 2019 here in North Carolina and I needed to prepare the house and make sure the garden hose was drained, my antifreeze in Homer (my adventure van) was up to snuff and things that could freeze and break were all tidied up. It's all part of being a responsible homeowner and human, right? Well, as it turns out, I didn't tidy anything up. I probably traded responsibility for something fun.
The following morning I awoke in a bit of a panic, remembering what I had neglected the previous day. I threw on my ThunderBuddy onesie and boots, what any responsible human wears around in the winter,  and rushed outside to assess the damage. To my delight, the hose did not burst and flood my basement, Homer survived the night without any damage and nothing froze and broke around the house. However, there was a tub of water that had collected debris during the Autumn and had frozen solid. The beauty of nature and the "practice" of procrastination had created something intriguing. I ran in and grabbed my little Ricoh GRII (my most favorite pocket camera EVER) and snapped a few images of the beauty. I watched it throughout the day as it melted and changed its appearance.  Every 15 minutes or so I would find a completely new piece of art. It held my fascination all day. What would I find next!? 
That night, I laid in bed dreaming with a smile about my tub of water. "Boy, it sure would have been cool if there was something more interesting than leaves under the ice. Like a figurine or a knife or flower or maybe a piece of clothing!" Then curiosity hits me like a lighting bolt. (And, coincidentally I know what that feels like 2010) I thought, "What if  I put some of my prints under water!?" 
I sprang from my bed to gather some matter,
darkroom trays, prints and water, I'm sure I made such a clatter.  
I rushed back to bed to try to get some good sleep,
but stayed a wide wake counting pictures not sheep.
I'll just check on them, its been over an hour.
if I pour milk in the water, I wonder, will it sour?
I somehow fall asleep but awoke before dawn,
I stretch, don my ThunderBuddy onesie and give a big yawn.
I put on my boots and rush out on the porch,
in hopes to find wonder in the light of my torch.
And what to my wondering eyes should appear,
frozen silver prints some bubbled some crystal clear.

Tips to make your own
1. Make a print of one of your pictures.
2. place it in a developing tray or pan.
3. fill with water, tea, coffee, milk or any variation
4. set on front porch and let the bitter cold of winter freeze it.
5.make a photograph of that process.
6. hint, sometimes the thawing makes for a better image. I usually check on them every 15 minutes or so to see the variations.

FAQ:

1. cant I use my refrigerator freezer? Yes you can. Although it does it the same way about every time and that is a clear solid freeze.(boring!) The winds and elements of nature are what create the magic.

2. Can I use coffee instead of tea? Yup. Use what ever ya want. I use everything from paint to milk, tea, wine, tannin from leaves ect.

3. Can I see more of these? Yup right HERE!

My name is Parker J Pfister. I live and work as a photographic artist out of Asheville, North Carolina. I do lots of really, really, ridiculously, amazing things, such as portraits, editorial, commercial and fine art photography.

For more info or to inquire please click here.

The start of it all.

Left: frozen tea and wine. Right: 1/4” of water frozen creates geometry in the ice.

This is a photograph of a print submerged in a Red Wine/Tea mixture and left to freeze overnight outside. The blue is the reflected sky and for some reason the tea seemed to go to the edges of the pan.

This is a photograph of a print submerged in a water/Tea mixture and left to freeze overnight outside. The clear bubble moves during the thawing process in the morning sun.

This is a photograph of a print submerged in a water/Wine mixture and left to freeze overnight outside. It was a particularly cold night of just 8 degrees with heavy winds starting the cold snap. This left an unusual pattern that looks like brush strokes.

Right: The start of a freeze with subtle veiling or reticulation. Left: The clear bubble moves during the thawing process in the morning sun.