Photography instructor shares salt print process through exhibits, publications

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — What started with a bit of curiosity now has Joanna Yoder, Pennsylvania College of Technology photography instructor, showing her artwork in exhibits and magazines across the country and around the world.

Over the summer, Yoder began researching and experimenting with historical photographic processes that she could share with her students. She discovered the salted paper printing process through a workshop at Glen Echo Photoworks in Glen Echo, Maryland. The process, invented by William Henry Fox Talbot in the 1830s, is the oldest negative-to-positive photographic process, which uses silver nitrate, cotton paper, sodium thiosulfate, water and table salt.

“For me, personally, I was drawn back to the darkroom to find balance, to return to something more tactile and hands-on,” Yoder said. “I wanted to be far away from a computer screen, immersed in the quiet atmosphere of the darkroom. The salted paper printing process forces me to slow down and be more reflective in my work. I enjoy the experimentation with light, chemistry and time, as well as the surprises that come with the imperfection and uniqueness of each print.”

The process differs from traditional darkroom printing because of the way the paper is hand-coated. Yoder said the beauty of each salt print is that each one is always a little bit different, the result of creative brush strokes, variations in the tones within the image and the act of placing objects on the paper before exposure.

Her salt paper print work “Heirloom Bonnet” was selected by juror Aline Smithson for an exhibition at The Photographer’s Eye Collective in Escondido, California.  The “(S)Light of Hand” collection is on exhibit through Oct. 4.

Although Smithson pointed out that the digital world has removed the artist’s hand from the photographic experience, she said there has been a return to alternative and historic processes.

“Using alternative and historical processes has allowed artists to celebrate the imperfect, to experience the physicality of photography, to embrace its unpredictability, and to create unique objects that are artful and meaningful,” Smithson said.

Yoder also published an article showcasing her salt print work in the September issue of Obscura Craft Magazine. The publication, she said, is based in Sweden and “was born from a deep passion for preserving the printed word and celebrating the artistry of historic analog and alternative photographic processes.”

The artist’s 10-page spread, including her writing and 10 of her salt print images, focuses on her inspirations, the salt print learning process and how she made it possible to use her basement darkroom to master the alternative artform. 

Most recently, Yoder’s work was selected for inclusion in The Hand Magazine, based in Prairie Village, Kansas, a quarterly publication that is “dedicated to being the world’s premier forum for ‘alternative’ and historic photographic processes and all types of printmaking.” She submitted five photographs for review and won’t know until October, when she receives a copy of the magazine, which one was selected to be featured.

Yoder teaches digital photography at Penn College and hopes to one day teach a course that introduces students to the darkroom and alternative process photography.

“I am envisioning writing a new course incorporating photo history that includes some hands-on historic processes,” she said. “I hope to be able to share my love for the darkroom and historical photo processes with my students and to incorporate it into my teaching.”

Yoder’s work has been shown across the country in major cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and New York City, as well as in Tokyo. A complete list of exhibitions can be seen at joannaknox.com. 

To learn more about Penn College’s Graphic Design & Art programs, call 570-327-4521 or visit www.pct.edu/art.

For information about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education, visit www.pct.edu, email admissions@pct.edu or call toll-free 800-367-9222.