129 6th Ave W, Dickinson, ND, 2009 by David Ebeltoft

Even in this digital age, the physical qualities of the work are still critical considerations for photographers. What kind of film (for those who still use it, and there are many), the type of print, the quality of print stock, and not least, the matte and frame are all material choices which affect how the photograph is displayed and perceived.

It helps to see the work in person, of course; I saw the importance of these qualities at the 2007 solo exhibition of Helen Van Meene's work at Yancey Richardson Gallery. Van Meene used framing to her advantage by encasing her beatific portraits of children in thin, dark walnut frames to give the images a votive-like quality. The portraits were not only beautiful and eerie, but the slight frames reflected the delicate character of these children.

Contender David Ebeltoft brings this approach to light in his new body of work, Residential. He writes about the project,

My current series, Residential, was built on the idea of how a home's external appearance and formal composition can be extensions of the individual, their family, and community. The framework of each dwelling became a symbol, a scene from an ordinary existence that helped shape my idea of how a home, both aesthetically and conceptually, should look. The split-toned, gelatin silver prints are 'housed' in a white-stained 1/2in Baltic-birch matte and ebony-stained 2x4 walnut frame.

Overwhelmed by birch viewfinder matting, these small images of residential architecture emphasize the personal material choices of their inhabitants. Presented only with a facade, the viewer is left to pay close attention to the building's exterior details, architectural style, and landscaping. The middle distance they are photographed at also places the viewer in the position of the passing stranger, looking in on the site where someone else's life happens. But it is the heavy physical presence of the matte and frame, that creates a tunnel effect and enhances the voyeuristic qualities that the images contain.

David Ebeltoft completed his BFA in Photography and Museum Studies at the College of Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2002. David received the Grand Prize at the 2008 National Small Works Exhibition at the Arkell Museum and was most recently awarded the 2009 AATTA Arts Fellowship at Dickinson State University.