Eric Baillies – Nineteenth-century photographic artist

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I’ve been drawn to photography for as long as I can remember. My dad was a
chemist whose hobby was photography, so I grew up with a darkroom in the
basement.

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After working as a commercial photographer for ten years, using contemporary technologies, I began venturing into nineteenth-century techniques. This was driven by my passion for the history of photography, my pleasure in learning about and using bygone methods and materials, the visual engagement, and the sheer joy of making photographic images “from scratch.”

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As people viewed my photographs and talked with me about the images and my work, I had a strong desire to learn more. I was fortunate to find the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. There I connected with photographic-process historian Mark Osterman, a leading expert in early techniques and a great teacher and mentor. Working with him has been key to a lot of the success I’ve had in my Photo Chemist work.