Ditch, Middle River

cyanotype and wax pastel

24 x 36 inches

Courtesy of The Artist

Em White is a Richmond-based photographer and visual artist specializing in large-format photography and historic, handmade photographic processes, including tintypes. Raised in rural Virginia and drawing from a background in sociology, her work presents natural environments as vital community spaces and examines how natural landscapes shape the emotional self.

Primarily self taught, Em's approach to photography has been shaped by personal experimentation and opportunities to learn from established artists. She works with analog processes, valuing the ability to produce by hand, for the slow movement they require and the present state of mind they demand.

Her artwork is in the collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Library of Virginia, the Eleanor D. Wilson Museum, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture and the Candela Collection. She has taught at Corcoran School of the Arts, Virginia Commonwealth University, the Penumbra Foundation and various community arts organizations.

When not in the darkroom, she can be found walking along the James River with her three dogs. She has an analog portrait studio in specializing in tintypes and large format film, where she collaborates with members of the community to make tangible portraits in a digital area.