Personal Photography Series on “Fear” by Colin Hawkins

Creating Large-Scale Photographic Prints about Fears

For a personal photography project I wanted to create huge prints as part of a series that explored the concept of “fear” as a central theme.  Each image was carefully chosen to represent fear as a dark, looming presence—sometimes emerging suddenly, other times building slowly over time. The process of creating these prints was physically exhausting and technically demanding, it was also one of the most creatively rewarding projects I’ve ever undertaken.

Fear – Humanity’s Oldest and Strongest Emotion

Fear is one of humanity’s oldest and strongest emotions, often irrational and overwhelming. It can disrupt daily life, manifesting as an unjustified terror. Biologically, humans are wired to develop fears of animals, situations, and threats that were significant for survival throughout evolutionary history, especially those we can neither predict nor control.

The Lith Development  Process : Hand-Developed Unique Prints

What makes each print in this series truly unique is the process behind its creation. While photography is typically associated with mass reproduction, I used the hand-developed Lith process which I’ve been doing for many many years.

Lith printing usually ensures that no two prints are ever the same due to the unpredictable nature of the process. This process also mirrors the individuality of our fears—each one distinct, shaped by personal 

The Late-Night Darkroom Sessions

The project took place late at night in my studio over a series of months. The process of working at night was a necessity—achieving 100% blackout in the studio during daylight hours was nearly impossible, so I had to wait until it was night to get started. But in many ways, the nighttime became part of the process, adding a quiet, dark intensity to the work that fed into the final images.

Choosing the Right Photographic Paper

The choice of photographic paper was critical. I used Kentmere Kentona, a paper known for producing warmer, orange-toned images, and Polywarm Tone, which gave the prints a more muddy, gritty feel with the with printing process. Luckily both types came in 10-meter rolls, which was essential for the large format I was aiming for. The hardest problem was dealing with the curl of these large sheets of stiff paper as I pinned or taped them to the wall.

The Development Process: An Experimental Approach

I calculated the exposures of to be around 3 minutes using test strips, large test strips that most people would use for an exhibition size print. Luckily the studio has a concrete floor so movement wasn’t an issue. Once exposed correctly the development stage began and instead of submerging the prints in a traditional developer bath, I decided to use sponges soaked in a jug of  Novalith A & B developer at a 20ml/1 litre dilution and bought cheap extra-large children’s paddling pools as it was the only thing I could think of that was large enough.

This method of working gave me complete control over how the image developed, allowing for selective darkening and lightening of specific areas, adding warmer developer in some areas or watering down other places that were developing too quickly . I wanted the prints to have an abstract, non-uniform quality, with “splash” effects that made each piece unique.

The development process was slow and deliberate, often taking well over 30 minutes per print. But the reward was worth it—this approach allowed me to create highly textured and abstract effects that would be impossible to achieve using standard development techniques. The Lith process is the most magical experience, where areas of the image slowly start to appear in random areas, faint at first, then slowly building like an infection to create deep black shadows and subtle mid tones.

Handling Fragile Prints after Development

Once the prints reached the desired state of development, they had to be carefully transferred into another paddling pool containing gallons of fixer. At this stage, the prints were quite heavy and incredibly fragile, and moving them was no easy task.

I could usually manage about 10 prints over the course of an all-night session, but each required two or three hours of washing which I did outside under in another paddling pool with running water to remove any remaining chemicals. Moving these huge sheets of soaked paper up and down the stairs of the studio was physically very challenging and I hadn’t anticipated how difficult this was going to be especially at 3am in the morning!

Drying and Finishing the Lith Prints

Drying the prints was another issue. First they were placed on a large sheet of acrylic to remove any excess water using a squeegee. I strung up washing lines across the studio and hung the prints using pegs and clamps to prevent them from curling too much. This wasn’t always successful, as the sheer size and weight of the water-soaked prints caused them to shift and twist unpredictably.

Once they were dry, each print needed to be hand-retouched. Dust particles, scratches, and other imperfections were inevitable given the experimental nature of the process, but I spent hours carefully removing any unwanted marks. After this painstaking retouching process, the prints were wrap-mounted onto MDF boards and sealed flat to preserve their longevity. Sadly a few were damaged in the mounting stage with large creases.

The Result: Unique and Unrepeatable Prints

What made this personal photography project truly special was the unrepeatable nature of each print. Unlike most photographic prints, which can be reproduced over and over, these were one-of-a-kind. The combination of hand-applied development and the sheer scale of the prints made each one a completely unique piece of art.

Through this process, I discovered the power of working outside the traditional boundaries of photography. The challenges—from handling massive sheets of fragile paper to working in the dead of night—pushed me to experiment, adapt, and create something entirely new. Each print was not only a reflection of the image itself but also of the physical and creative labor that went into making it.

Darkroom chemicals & supplies for Lith printing may be available from:

https://firstcall-photographic.co.uk

Categorised in: Art Photography, Fine Art

This post was written by Colin

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