A photography student working on a series of tintypes asked me to sit for him. Excited to witness the process, I agreed. All that was required was stillness while he coated, metered, and timed. I can do that quite well, actually. I sat still for a few sun-infused seconds. But pretend those seconds were years. That's how I remember the moment now. Because the image was a 'test print,' I got to take it home. I stared with longing as the days got longer. Becoming harder submerged in water. I wished I could've been more expressive. Flexible. Tried something new. Not waited. I've held it and wanted to break the thing.
 |
| Portrait by Tomi Ni, 2012 |
The thin sheet of metal sits safely on a stack of old books, in a room where I spend most evenings working on the art of staying very still - to feel myself breathe in cool.
