From hiking to darkroom printing, discover how Macy Lee created this unique print in our latest 'How I Got This Picture' interview.

IMAGE TITLE

Izzy at the Canyon 

Macy Lee

TECHNICAL INFO

FILM USED

ILFORD HP5+

FORMAT

120

CAMERA

Hasselblad 500C

LENS

60mm

EXPOSURE TIME

5.6 F stop at 60th of a second

LOCATION

The Grand Canyon, South Kaibab Trail

FIRSTLY, TELL US THE STORY BEHIND THIS IMAGE. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO SHOOT IT?

Izzy is one of my best friends, and this was during a long running trip we had been planning together to the Grand Canyon! In my whole journey knowing her, I would always take her portraits. We did more conceptual shoots on this trip, and tried out a lot of different concepts.

DID YOU COME ACROSS ANY CHALLENGES?

I took Izzy's nudes in the middle of this hike, so it was difficult to find a pocket of time for her to take off her clothes without anyone looking. I also had to direct a bit more swiftly in this situation because of the environment and circumstance. What we did is just discuss a few photos we wanted and she just stripped in the middle of the hike as fast as she could. I also had to do my part in taking the photo as quickly as possible! It was an adrenaline rush for sure. It brought back our energy to finish the hike and go back to our starting point.

WHAT PROCESS DID YOU USE?

I am personally not a big fan of using much equipment! As much as possible, I always use natural light for my work.

HOW DID YOU PROCESS IT?

I develop my own black and white film, so I did these rolls from this trip too.

WHAT ABOUT PRINTING?

I did darkroom prints for these series.

WHICH PAPER DID YOU USE AND WHAT WAS YOUR PRINTING PROCESS?

I used the ILFORD 11x14 semi matte paper. I'm a huge fan of their matte and semi matte series, it makes the print and photograph look soft and nostalgic. It's a favorite! I also love the tiny 5x7 size.

 

Image ©Macy Castañeda Lee