Biography

Jahan Saber was born in Vienna, 1990. His photographic journey began at a young age and then rekindled during his mid-twenties. Leaving a career in commercial photography he returned to the roots of the analogue process, working mainly out of his home darkroom. Jahan is the founder of the DEVELOP label that focuses on analogue processes and how their practice is essential to living a more mindful life. His work focuses around feelings and intuition and how they play a larger part in following a grounded path. He is currently enrolled at the University of Applied Arts of Vienna and teaches photography on Skillshare.

Member of the AllFormat Collective.

Artist Statement

Develop was my reaction to the over saturation of the current photographic world. I think that we’ve reached a point in time, where not only in photography, but in all sorts of crafts and habits we are desperate for deceleration. Something that enables us to experience in a manner that enables sensory relevance. A haptic approach. The touch of paper, the smell of wood and the feeling of craftsmanship. 

Analogue photography forces you to think, slow down, to be a master of your craft. Mistakes are predestined to happen, but exactly that is the beauty of it. You are constantly reacting and experiencing things for the first time -- I crave the connection to the canvas and the manipulation of the medium. Developing your own films and working in the darkroom to make real silver gelatin prints is always a first time experience, no matter how often you've done it. 

Eventually, you come to the conclusion that the way you look at things matters. The way you react matters. This analytical approach of choosing the right developer, finding the right frame, learning to read light with your eyes and trusting your senses in an intuitive way has changed approach to my life.