A Reckoning by Caroline Waterman was a 2025 Denis Roussel Awards Work of Merit selection.
“These images were made with a child’s plastic camera to visually interpret and represent the memories and events of a teenage girl’s life in Ireland during “the Troubles.” There is an emotional mosaic of moments remembered in this portfolio, each one singular when not in context, where the child’s camera is not simply an instrument of capture, but a conceptual gesture. The subjects of each image, often due to the limitations of the camera, are softly focused, grainy, dense with light and darkness, partial in detail and fleeting in the moment. The images themselves are like an act of reclamation and performative… exploring the unreliability of traumatic memory, which almost always resists detail and perfect representation. In this way, the very act of making beautiful images, for so many artists throughout the history of the arts, is a form of healing and restoration.
The bird soaring above the canal represents an escape to the sea. In another image, the forensic doll-like visage in the sand is a surrogate body and communion-like innocence… and a symbol of a violent experience where the evidence is surrounded by large footprints in the sand. The hand painted sensitizer borders, far from being an aesthetic flourish, becomes a performative signature… declaring that there was nothing present before she arrived with her artistic intentions and that she alone is responsible for the photographic representation of her own experience.”Christopher James
Would you please tell us about yourself?
I grew up in Ireland in the 70s and 80s, which was a time of great turmoil and change. I never intended to leave my country long-term; being an immigrant was not my intention, but due to the high unemployment rate at the time, like many before me, I left for America. So, I became an Irish immigrant in Boston, and, in the company of so many other fellow exiles, I worked in the Boston Irish pubs while attending night classes at Northeastern University. I married an American man and had three children, all of whom are now grown and have moved on with their lives. I have lived in multiple states in the U.S., pursuing my photography degree as best I could along the way.
As the years passed, I felt that I was moving further and further away from my Art and my dreams, until I finally landed in Charlotte, NC, and at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. It was there I fell head over heels in love with photography and very specifically, Alternative process. I graduated with my BFA in 2016 and subsequently earned my MFA at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I moved back to Charlotte after graduation, and am currently teaching photography at my alma mater, UNCC.
Although I never moved back to Ireland, I spend time there at least twice a year; it is still where my heart is and remains very much a source of inspiration.
Where did you get your photographic training?
My photography journey began in the 1980s in Dublin, at the Dublin Institute of Technology. Armed with my Pentax K1000, good old dirty Dublin did not disappoint. The old park bench along the canal, the rusty old bicycle against the peeling old wall, every cliché in the book! But I didn’t care, it felt like I was making magic! Of course, I was making poorly printed, badly mounted, and completely predictable black and white glossy postcards. For many years, I drifted away from photography, as I no longer had access to a darkroom.
I packed up my 35mm camera and moved on to raising my family. Fast forward to 2010 in
Charlotte, and a place called The LightFactory. I took every photography class they had to offer, but wanting more, I decided to return to college and finish my degree. My time at UNCC introduced me to Alternative process and large format photography; my love for analogue photography was rekindled, and I have never looked back. And yet I wanted more, so naturally a master’s degree would have to be next.
Lesley University in Cambridge provided that opportunity, along with the mentorship of some of the most amazing artists, writers, and curators, and it was there that I believe I became an Artist.
Who has had an influence on your creative process?
I have been accused many times of being a pictorialist, and I embrace this label because it is true that beauty plays a significant role in my work. Artists such as Julia Margaret Cameron and Alfred Steiglitz introduced me to the concept of beauty, and I greatly appreciate the use of soft focus and the idea of photography as a means of storytelling. There were two considerable influences during my early years in Charlotte: Dan Estabrook and Christopher James. The latter is, of course, the author of a book I consider the Bible for alternative pro photographers. Everything I learned about Platinum Palladium, I learned from his book. It is a book I use to this day. In addition to his book, I am also a very big fan of his use of the Holga camera.
I had the good fortune to attend an SPE conference with Dan Estabrook as the keynote speaker, a speech I can remember to this day. However, the work he presented had a profound impact on me. I’m not entirely sure I can explain why, but the work I created following that conference improved, in my opinion. The list would not be complete without mentioning Sally Mann. I loved her Southern landscape work, but her series, Immediate Family, had a direct effect on my work, insofar as it gave me permission to continue the work I presented for my BFA thesis exhibit, which included images of my children.
Please tell us about an image (not your own) that has stayed with you over time.
Sally Mann’s, Jessie Bites. I loved her work and this series, which, as I mentioned, I took inspiration from. A friend of mine was part of an exhibit in Charlotte, which I believe was in 2016. Several wonderful artists participated, and this print was part of the exhibit. Seeing it in person was incredible; it was exquisite! The child’s expression is captivating! The tonality and beauty of the image are delicate and magnificent. It was a privilege to see it up close, and the experience has stayed with me.
What image of yours would you say taught you an important lesson?
An image I created for my MFA thesis, a self-portrait, taught me a valuable lesson about how something can be interpreted, and without clear context, I may not always be in control of that interpretation. This was an image where I am primarily in darkness, I am confronting the camera and holding half of an apple, and part of my nipple is visible. Needless to say, it sparked conversation; some loved it, while others didn’t, but it reminded me that we have no control over how an image is perceived. That said, I stood by it. In the broader context of the project, it is an image I am proud of.
Please tell us about the work you submitted to Denis Roussel Award
The work I submitted for the Denis Roussel Award is part of a project I began for my MFA thesis and continue to work on to date. This most recent body of work contains images I have been working on for the past two and a half years that confront a sexual assault I suffered when I was nineteen years old in Ireland. The work I am making about my rape is not designed to portray a victim. My decision to make this work, and to render this account of the assault that inspired it, is not an easy one.
But I feel that, to honor my journey as an artist, and most importantly as a woman, mother, daughter, and wife, I needed to confront my truth. I hope this work will be seen as courageous. Additionally, I want the viewer to see beauty, tenacity, and defiance.
What part of image-making do you find the most rewarding?
I love all of it! But if I have to choose, it would have to be Platinum Palladium printing. I truly love the sight and sound of that hot developer being poured and revealing my image; that is the magic for me. Throughout the process, I contribute to the final image, but it is only when that steaming developer hits the paper that the image comes alive. This is the labor of love!
How do you work through times when nothing seems to work?
Gosh, that’s a tough one! Although I’m not sure about others, it does happen. In fact, during a workshop I was teaching, nothing seemed to be working, and I had no choice but to troubleshoot in front of my students, nerve-wracking! But I suppose that’s how I get through it; I try to slow down completely and break the process down, taking each step as though I were learning it all over again. I am always learning; I hope I will never stop.
What tools have you found essential in the making of your work?
Patience! Humility! The notion that you are an expert is a trap. A friend of mine told me that we should embrace the “beginner” mentality; otherwise, we stop learning. I never want to stop learning.
Is there something in photography that you would like to try in the future?
Yes, Photogravure! I had the opportunity to take a printing class in Cambridge and loved it. As part of that class, I got a tiny taste of photo polymer, and I really want to pursue it if I get the chance.
How does your art affect the way you see the world?
I imagine, like most artists, I feel like I see things differently, like I am constantly “looking”. My most recent work has opened my eyes to the unbelievable prevalence of sexual violence. I don’t think I ever considered myself a feminist, or even a feminist Artist, but I am, and I embrace that.
What’s on the horizon?
I have just begun my journey as a photography professor, so I am very hopeful that this will be as rewarding as I expect it to be. I am continuing to work on my Reckoning project, although this means traveling home. In the meantime, I am just beginning to learn about Wet Plate. So far, I love it and am working to set up my mobile wet plate darkroom.
Thank you Caroline. To learn more about the work of Caroline Waterman please click on her name.
