The first version of this website went online in 2002 featuring a number of "Galleries" and included instructions for buying prints. In 2004, believing that a portfolio site was rather static and dull, I replaced it with a photo-blog of sorts. In 2005 I was thinking about applying to graduate school and realized that my website was full of navel-gazing snapshots from my digital camera and created a simple portfolio site. While in graduate school at Columbia University in 2007 I made a graphically simple, but highly organized new version of this site (see Thomas Roma's website based on those templates). But after graduation it struck me that the website was misrepresenting the photographs with its neat categorization and short essays. So in 2008 I replaced that version with something much more obtuse, a website which only displayed a single randomly selected photograph. No navigation. No way to easily see another related image. No essays. People were frustrated, but I liked it.
You are now viewing the latest iteration uploaded on March 14th 2011. The design allows for easy browsing of related photographs without the false patina of completed works. I was intrigued by the idea of a horizontal scroll.
I designed and coded this site myself, but with the invaluable help of Shadowbox.js which produced the slideshow feature, and the indespensible jQuery JavaScript library which made the animations possible. I am allergic to dramatic Flash-based websites which have too many transitions and discourage search engines. HTML ! CSS ! JavaScript ! PHP ! I am deathly allergic to Internet Explorer.
The Kai McBride logo typeface is Auto, a wonderful sans-serif by Underware.
My cameras are all loaded with Ilford HP5 film (35mm, 120mm, 4x5 & 8x10). Since 2006 I have been developing the film in Kodak XTOL mixed 1:1. These days I print everything on Ilford Warmtone Multigrade paper. Images on this website were scanned from negatives and prints.
