My techniques are the result of more than 20 years of work in photography, darkrooms, and digital imaging and were developed mostly through experimentation. I began my black-and-white photography and darkroom hobby in the 1980s as part of a thriving community of amateur photographers that dated back more than a century. This community has changed drastically in past decade and keeping pace with it has not been easy. But things are coming full circle. Some of the earliest photographers were also interested in capturing an artistic look and feel. Known as the Pictorialists, they were popular in the late 1800s but fell out of style after World War I. One man who kept the trend going was Aubrey Bodine, photographer for the Baltimore Sun from the 1920s to 1970. He believed in manipulating skies, compositional elements, and whatever else he felt was necessary to achieve the desired result. He would have loved Photoshop, giant megapixel cameras, and all the other new tools at our disposal today.

At the heart of my philosophy is a belief in giving people a good value for their money. For one reason or another, certain types of art have become inflated in value, beyond the reach of working people. I strongly believe in affordable art that speaks to our personal lives at the deepest level. We all have digital cameras ready to capture the priceless moments or our lives if we so choose. We can build collections of these images to document our lives, share them with friends and family, or let them grow mold on our hard drive. A third option is to have these images converted to enhanced photographic art.

For a brief discussion of the inflated prices in today's art world, click here.

In addition to enhanced photography I also do CAD, illustration, and other graphic arts for planners and architects.

Thanks for taking the time to view my work. Any feedback you may have is most welcome.

Peter Tocco