Today we revisit our interview with Judit German-Heins, the 2024 Denis Roussel Award Winner chosen by Christopher James.
“I feel that your thesis series, A Monster In the Shape of a Woman, is drawn from your personal experiences of the loss of a child, sexual abuse and growing up female, while being subjected to patriarchal expectations and edicts, successfully represents both your own story and those of women throughout the world… from pretty much the beginning of time. Your work is so powerful in its serendipity, encouragement and acceptance of narrative interpretation — a great relief to a viewer as the wet plate collodion process has recently become so self-satisfied with the predictability of the static subject in the middle of the frame.
I totally appreciate your restraint, permitting the viewer to find themselves and create with you… providing their own life experiences while contemplating your images. Your diptych is one of my favorite works in this year’s Denis Roussel Award competition. As well, I love the non-studio intimacy and artifacts of the piece, The Scar, and the counterpoint references to the proverbial hidden mother in Victorian era studio portraits.” Christopher James
Would you please tell us about yourself?
I grew up in Budapest, Hungary, I moved to the United States after college. I was
about 8 years old when my father gave me a Russian Smena film camera, so I have
been making images for over 40 years. However, I became a geologist and worked as
such for 9 years before I decided to take my photography to the next level. After
taking different courses mostly in digital photography and a few in the collodion
process, I enrolled in Lesley University’s MFA in Photography and Integrated Media
program and graduated in 2023. This year, I am working on my residency with the
Erie Canal Museum, making tintypes of women who’s work is connected to the Erie
Canal. This work will be part of the bicentennial celebration of the opening of the Erie
Canal. I am also involved with the Center of Photography Woodstock, where I have
been enjoying teaching tintype workshops for the past three summers.
Please tell us about the portfolio you submitted to the Denis Roussel Award.
“Monster in the Shape of a Woman” grew out of my anger and hopelessness after the
Dobbs decision in 2022. I was in the process of deciding about my thesis project for
my MFA that summer. After the Dobbs decision hit, I went through a month of
depression, where I could not pick up my camera. I was thinking about my own
experience as a woman, who went through two abortions, one of which was a third-
term abortion that had to be done to save my life. I was thinking about my experience
as a victim of sexual abuse and assault when I was a child and my experience with
patriarchy and also with misogyny especially when I was working in male-dominated
areas as a geologist and photographer.
I was also reading about the history ofcontraception (including abortion) and
decided to tell my story using the poem of Adrianne Rich, whose work I admire. Planetarium, which is a tribute to Caroline Herschel is one of my favorite poems
and it is also connected to the history of photography through her nephew,
John Herschel, who figured out how to fix the image using hypo and taught Daguerre.
I was also reading about monsters in mythology, that are given the female gender
and the Satan in the Bible that is portrayed as a woman by Michelangelo.
And that is how the idea of the title for my thesis was born, and the portfolio of tintypes that I submitted to the Denis Roussel Award.
Please tell us about your process.
I fell in love with the wet plate collodion process about 8 years ago. I studied
chemistry in college and I always liked mixing chemistry and creating with my hands.
To me, this process encompasses everything from having a connection with the
history of photography that I love learning about, to the magic of a photochemical
process that you can use to create the most amazing monochromatic images with
fantastic tonality. I even find the smell of ether and alcohol relaxing, pun intended. I use mostly an 8×10 camera and a portable darkroom to make images on the road,
especially now that I am working on the Erie Canal project. Besides traditional
portraits, I like to use the process to create contemporary images with multiple or
long-exposure.
What is the most frustrating part of the process?
I could probably spend hours talking about all the challenges and often frustrations
that accompany the wet plate collodion process. There are so many parameters to the
process that when something goes wrong that you haven’t seen before, it is necessary
to systematically go through a consistent trouble-shooting process to figure out the
reason for the problem.
It is a chemical process, and each and every step is responsible for the outcome of the image. The age and the recipe of the collodion influence the ISO and the contrast of the image, the developer is dependent on temperature, therefore you need to modify the solution in different weather conditions, different fixers result in different tonalities. But probably the most frustrating part is when you make your perfect image and you mess up the varnishing, which is supposed to protect the image from mechanical and chemical degradation.
So besides learning the pouring technique to make the plate, learning to work with limitation like ISO less then 1 and shooting quickly before the plate dries out, you also have to develop a very consistent working strategy with constant documentation in order to
really control the outcome of this process. That is what makes it so challenging, which
is partially the reason why I like it so much. There is never a dull moment when I
shoot.
Do you enjoy the process itself or is it just a means to an end?
Yes, I do enjoy the process, with all of its challenges, but I also use it to connect
contemporary subject matter to history. Most of my projects relate to political and
social issues, like immigration, discrimination (anti-semitism and islamophobia) and
women’s rights, which are subjects that have a long history not only in the U.S. but all
over the world. I chose this process the first time when I photographed refugees to
point out the similarities between immigrants who came to the U.S. in the late 19th and
early 20th century and those who have come recently and have been discriminated
against, or those who have been refused entry all together.
My current project as an AIR at the Erie Canal Museum aims to connect the Women’s
Rights Movement with the current working situation of women along the Canal.
How long have you been practicing this process?
I have been making tintypes for the past 8 years.
Do you have a mentor or a teacher that has helped your journey?
I don’t really have a single mentor, but I have learned from wonderful artists while
taking courses for the past 10+ years, especially during my MFA program. I was
fortunate to have artists and educators like Christopher James, David Hilliard, Laura
Larson, Joe Wolin, Dan Estabrook, Deb Todd Wheeler and many others on my
committee, who really shaped who I am now as an artist. I felt like I really grew as an
artist and a person from weekly critiques, reading numerous essays and taking classes
about the theory and history of photography and also in different alternative
photographic techniques. During my 2 years at Lesley, I learned how to see and think
like an artist photographer.
How do you work through times when nothing seems to work?
It happens time to time, that I run into a technical problem that I haven’t seen before
and I don’t seem to be able to find a solution. When it happens, I try to go back to the
basics, trouble shoot, and I have to constantly remind myself that I can overcome
obstacles by being patient and believing in myself. Luckily, I am part of two women
photographers’ groups that are very supportive and we can all bring problems to the
table, find solutions and provide technical and emotional support for each other. I am
not shy to ask for help when I need to, which, I think is a key for personal
development.
What part of image-making do you find the most rewarding?
The most rewarding part of the tintype process, which I still think is magical, is when
the image appears in the fixer.
What tools have you found essential in the making of your work?
To me it is essential to make my own chemistry from scratch rather then buying the
already mixed chemicals in order to control better the process. So, in my case,
chemical equipments are essential.
Is there something in photography that you would like to try in the future?
Yes, I am dying to learn the polymer photogravure process. I am building a studio
behind my house right now, and when its done, I would like to do some other metal-
based printing processes (palladium, ziatype, etc.).
What’s on the horizon?
I will be working on my Erie Canal project for the rest of the year, which will
culminate in a group exhibition with the other AIRs, Clara Riedlinger and Alon
Koppel at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse from mid-January to April.
After that I will jump head first into book-making of the “Monster in the Shape of a
Women” project, which I am very excited about.
Thank you Judit. To learn more about the work of Judit German-Heins please click on her name.
