1960's to today

Then to Now

People ask me “where do your ideas come from?” It is probably an innocent question but maybe it is an indirect way to ask if I am crazy. The answer to both is “I don’t know.”

early 1960's

First Exposure

I will always remember that magical moment when an image appeared on a blank sheet of paper in the tray of developer.

late 1960's

First Collaboration

My cousin Dick and I collaborated to take over his 3rd floor bathroom, made a darkroom with an enlarger on the toilet and trays in the bathtub. We called ourselves Westheimer & Westheimer Studios.

1960's

First Experiments

Right from the start I was playing around with distortions and multiple exposures. This was the early Sixties after all, a time of rebellion and experimentation.

late 1960's

Light Show

It was the sixties, a time of unrest and counterculture. Teens like me were captivated by rock music and the psychedelic imagery that came along with it.

1970-74

College Days

Although Union College was primarily an engineering and pre-med school I started taking art classes with Arnold Bittleman, the lone art professor who was pretty much the entire art department.

1974-1985

Colorado

I left college knowing a few things: I didn’t want to live in Schenectady or Cincinnati and I still was fascinated by photography and technology and loved experimentation.

1977-1985

Mountain Rescue Aspen

I volunteered for Mountain Rescue Aspen and helped with rescues - finding and retrieving injured or dead people in the backcountry.

1980-85

Aerial Photography

I had never before photographed from a plane but I quickly learned a lot about aerial photography and a little about flying in a small plane. It was exciting and beautiful.

1980-2010

In all my years of doing darkroom work I had never been in a color darkroom or made a color print. I found a summer workshop to learn how to print in color on Cibachrome paper taught by a guy named Jerry Burchfield.

1983 - 2004

First Photograms

Back in my darkroom in Aspen I started photogramming like crazy.

Early 1980's

Leaving The Nest

I was traveling regularly to New York to make connections in the commercial and editorial photography world as well as the fine art world.

1983 -1984

Assemblages

I began shooting multiple photographs to be printed and assembled into a matrix.

1982 - present

Jay Maisel

Inspired and mentored by Jay Maisel

1980 - 1985

Miggs and Dick Durrance

I was contacted by a few local photographers to teach them how to make Cibachrome prints in their own darkrooms.

1985 - 1999

New York City

I became a New Yorker and a certified artist!

1985

Transition to the Big City

Developing a portfolio when I arrived in New York

1985

Oddyssey

I traveled the world as I worked on my personal project “Oddyssey.”

1985 - 1990

Photo Assisting

I learned a lot about being a professional photographer in my time as a photo assistant.

1980's

Assistant’s Roundtable

Networking in NYC helped me learn the craft and the business of photography

1980's

Katharine Kuh

Legendary art critic and curator Katharine Kuh helped guide me through the art world.

1985 - 2000

SoHo Life

When I moved to Soho in 1985 the neighborhood was in transition from light industrial factories to an arts district.

Late 1980's

Transition from Assistant to Photographer

I stopped assisting in the mid 1980's and began getting jobs on my own.

1985 - 1999

Loft Living

My home and studio on Spring Street was a wonderful community of artists.

Late 1980's to today

A Muse

I have always needed someone to collaborate or communicate with about creativity. I never knew where or how that person would show up.

1980 - Present

Music

My work in the darkroom was greatly influenced by music.

mid 1980's

Technology

Life on the bleeding edge of technology always excited me.

1980's

Computer Programming

I saw computer programming as another form of creativity.

1996

Website

As soon as the internet was viable I developed my own website.

1992

First Big Job on the Computer

My first big job using digital manipulation.

early 1990's

Digital Photo Manipulation

My early digital manipulations imitated my analog layered look.

1960 - Today

Now and Then

Combining old and new technologies.

Collaboration: 1+1=3

I found working with a collaborator improves my work.

Community

Having a community whether in person or online has always been important to me.

NYC Photo Salon

The monthly NY photo salon was inspiring.

late 1980's - mid 1990's

Stock Photography

For a few good years stock photography - sales of existing work - was lucrative.

1999

New Jersey

Stranger in a strange land - I moved to NJ.

2000

A Brave New Photography World

Transitioning to more fine art and less commercial work.

The Edison Effect

Inspiration from Thomas Alva Edison

2000

The Digital Age

Time for the transition to digital. No more film for me!

Early 2000's

Gigapans

Gigapans were super-high resolution panoramic images with some interesting characteristics

2001

Everything Old Is New Again

In 2001 I learned how to make photographs just like they did in the mid 19th century.

2002-2006

A New Way Of Seeing

Charles Schwartz introduced me to new and old ideas and we collaborated making pictures with his camera obscura.

2001-2005

Out Of The Dark

I worked for 5 years on The Manual Project which became exhibitions, book, artist books, and 3D printed artist book sculptures.

2006-2007

Into The Woods

I always have felt there is a strange relationship between still photography and time. Each still image captures a moment, but could it also capture time passing?

Network News

Speed Dating in the Photography World: attending portfolio reviews has been a great way to network with gallerists, curators, publishers and other artists.

2007 - Ongoing

Evolution from Analog to Digital

The Ascent Project imagines how man will evolve in the digital age.

For The Love of Books

I have created many books in a variety of forms. Some printed on paper and some 3D printed.

2014 - ongoing

The Future of Books

As our digital world evolves paper books are disappearing and digital publishing is flourishing. My Gutenberg series of 3D printed book shaped sculptures investigates how that change is happening.

2015 - ongoing

Images from the Edge

Appropriating parts of my collodion wet-plate images to create new work.

2019

The Critical Eye

The Exhibition Lab critique group was great inspiration for my Anthropocene and Borderlands projects.

2019

Future Fossils

My vision of the future is set in stone.

Who Is Next?

What kind of future being will discover my fictitious fossils? What tools will they use?

2020 - ongoing

Just Like The Beginning

The COVID Pandemic challenged my creativity.

2018-ongoing

Nature Printing

Adapting an ancient technique for my Herbarium series.

How Do I Know?

Am I finished? Is my work done?

Bill Westheimer

Creative Chronology

HOME

1960 - Today

Now and Then

Collodion wet-plate photograph of my 1914 FKD view camera

I have always been fascinated with technology. As an “early adopter” I have experienced the double edged sword of trying new ways of working. But I never abandon the tried and true old analog image making. I haven’t used a film camera in decades, but I still work in the darkroom to make photograms and to develop collodion wet-plate photographs that I shoot using a hundred+ year old view camera. I especially enjoy bridging historic and modern processes.