What is valued today is sharp, fully resolved digital perfection that, once achieved, can be endlessly re-printed for mass consumption, each one indistinguishable from the other—ink on paper. Katastrophe means creating unique handmade images because of their imperfections and what I choose to add to them. The word "Katastrophe" comes from Ancient Greek and means to ruin or undo. Katastrophe celebrates the imperfections of the hand-created image, which are unique and inimitable. An image created in this manner requires that I work loosely, bending the rules, allowing myself to make mistakes, and seeing what directions they could drive the work—exploiting the flaws that I find useful and folding them into the process. This process dictates that I use photographic papers that are decades expired and unconventional films. They act unpredictably, creating unexpected tones and textures. Katastrophe images have their gelatin photo emulsions on the film, and the papers are deliberately distressed or melted away so that other emulsions can be reapplied and exposed. Images from these processes are almost impossible to predict, let alone duplicate.The images are arresting and provocative because I believe traditional photography is at a crossroads. While some may continue to shoot film as a quirky alternative to shooting digitally, I embrace the history and processes of almost 200 years of traditional photography and use it to create unique and tangible images. I choose Katastrophe.