Visual

MARCH 2017: KELSEY SWINTEK

These black-and-white 35mm film (Kodak Tri-X 400) photographs were shot on my grandfather's Nikon.

Costa Rica is green: the tropical plants, the camouflaged bugs, the overgrown thrushes, the reflections of ribbed leaves on the wet pavement in the rainy season. 

I chose to shoot black-and-white with the intention to reveal the tonality in the greens and to portray the diffused light casting shadows in the canopy of the forest. 

As I tip-toed across the bridge, suspended 164 feet above the ground, the cackles of a family of howler monkeys ricocheted between the reaching branches. 

I walked through a cloud. The bridge swayed and shifted and my stomach lurched as a daring tourist jumped up and down, laughing.

Kelsey Swintek

Kelsey Swintek is a writer, photographer, and artist who resides in New York City. Her work is featured on the cover of the inaugural print issue of The Hopper. Her website is www.kelseyswintek.com.