“The origins of my work and process lie in color theory and technical aspects of film photography. Over the last 15 years my focus shifted from fast work and multilevel output towards durable and lasting unique artwork.”

Jakub Kotrč, Berlin

 “Jakub Kotrč was born in 1985 in Germany with Czech-German parentage. When he was 11 years old he started to learn about classic photography, fascinated with the chemical processing of silver gelatin prints.

As he was getting serious, digital photography was on the rise and for a while he worked with a digital camera. But he never felt the same craftsmanship or uniqueness that was present in his analog experience. Jakub realized he needed to go back to his roots and focus on rich portraiture photography, on film.

Jakub shoots his portraiture on film in his Berlin studio. Portraits from his sessions have been used for actor headshots, unique lifecycle prints, sed cards, editorial series and more.

His analog processing is precise and handmade. From preparation to film development to the finished product, every step of the photo printing process is executed with the same set of hands, the photographer himself. Digital copies are possible if the client requests them.

Jakub also sells limited edition travel photography film prints. These stunning and personal photographs let us peer through his adventurer's lens and experience his journeys throughout the world.”

Laura Beckner, Los Angeles, CA

Paper Exposer - Mobile Darkroom App

In 2018 Jakub developed and published the Paper Exposer App for mobile devices. The application for iOS oder Android devices allows its user to print in classic silver gelatin process with limitless steps in contrast without the need for an enlarger. The application itself works as light source, process timer and vario-contrast filter and is integrated as hardware into almost any camera. Together, camera and application (device) build up a new enlarger system.

This achievement brought a lot of attention throughout the field of analogue photography and took away any entrance barriers in printing, especially large format negatives on paper, from beginners.

Publications