Richmond, Virginia, 14th January 2026, ZEX PR WIRE, Jens Mauthe, an amateur analog photographer based in Richmond, Virginia, has released a new photo series rooted in visual repetition and slow observational change. The work, available now through his online archive, continues his commitment to mechanical cameras, darkroom printing, and full workflow transparency. Each image is shot, developed, printed, and documented by hand using film-only techniques.
The new series focuses on recurring architectural surfaces and objects photographed over weeks and months under shifting light conditions. Radiators, wall seams, window trim, and stairwell edges appear across multiple frames. Mauthe returned to the same Richmond buildings with the same equipment, often framing the same subject from nearly identical angles. The intent was not novelty, but subtle variation and control.
Mauthe shot on both 35mm and medium format black and white film using fully manual cameras. No digital backup or metering tools were used. Each exposure was manually calculated and recorded in a field notebook. He used only three film stocks across the entire project and limited his development process to two known developer types to reduce uncontrolled variables.
“The goal was to see what changed—light, surface, tone—when everything else stayed the same,” Mauthe explained. “I didn’t want better shots. I wanted more understanding of how film reacts to minor shifts.”
After development, each roll was contact printed in the darkroom to review exposure and composition. Select frames moved to enlargement, where Mauthe applied his usual structured printing sequence: test strips to evaluate base exposure, then a progression of contrast filters, followed by fine-tuning dodging and burning. Every adjustment was written down and linked to each negative.
Only one finished print per frame was archived. Multiple work prints were created, tested, and discarded along the way. Mauthe used fiber-based baryta paper for the entire project, choosing a neutral tone stock for its dry-down stability and surface feel. Final prints were washed, flattened, and stored in archival sleeves. The finished versions were then scanned for inclusion in the online archive.
The result is a set of visually quiet but technically rigorous photographs. Each image appears simple—often an empty wall or structural joint—but layered with slow craft. Shadows bend differently depending on season. Texture sharpens or dulls depending on contrast adjustments. The final work reflects weeks of attention per image.
Mauthe’s website now includes the full project, with contact sheets, developer logs, camera records, and detailed print notes. Viewers can trace the full process for each photograph from camera settings through darkroom manipulation. No parts are withheld or cleaned up for presentation. Failed negatives and printing errors remain part of the archive.
“I’m not interested in showing perfect work,” Mauthe said. “This isn’t about a highlight reel. It’s a study. The idea is that someone could follow the records and replicate every step if they wanted to.”
The new work stays local. All photographs were taken within a three-mile radius in Richmond, often within walking distance of Mauthe’s home. Locations include stairwells, school basements, vacant commercial interiors, and transitional hallways. The repetition of place reinforces the project’s technical intent: isolate controllable variables and observe material change.
This approach reflects Mauthe’s larger philosophy about analog photography. He treats the process as a discipline—measured, repeatable, and slow. His tools remain minimal. No camera swaps mid-project. No lens experiments. No film pushed or pulled. The camera becomes secondary to the print.
Photography remains a private pursuit. Mauthe does not sell his work or exhibit it commercially. The archive serves as a personal log made public. Each series adds to the broader documentation of his analog practice, which now spans multiple years and hundreds of rolls.
The new series will be followed by additional photo essays in 2026. Each future addition will continue in the same structure: capture, record, develop, print, publish. For Mauthe, the outcome is not a single striking image, but a long record of craft executed consistently.
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Boston New Times journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.
