Several months ago I
wrote about an image (see below) that I created using an under-exposed image of a deer in dappled sunlight. At the time, I had only begun to experiment with my 'tapestry' technique and wasn't sure where I wanted to take it. Just recently, I've begun to revisit the concept and have been encouraged by the direction and the results that are materializing.
This technique relies on the soft forms and native noise that develops within an image when it is underexposed at a very high ISO. Of course, you can add noise to an image in Photoshop –which I've done with the image of the goose– but to my eye it looks somewhat less organic. Once the image is converted to a duo-tone, the high RGB noise blends together and adds quality to an image, rather than subtracting from it.
I'm compelled by imagery where the details of the subject matter are almost irrelevant, which allows the viewer to focus more on the emotion of a scene or moment. I am also interested in photographically exploring the idea of the Living’s transience within nature and time.
The self-portrait was made in an area of our field where I've found several Civil-War era bullets. I've often stood on that spot and wondered about who fired the shots and what (who!) they might have been firing at. I also think about the Native Americans who would've walked the land well before that. In the great span of time I'll become someone else's ghost one day as well. It is a humbling thought that I hope will be conveyed in this body of work.
As of late, I've continued to experiment with my 'Tapestry' series. Although it may look like a dreary, photographic rendition of something akin to Picasso's "Blue Period," the actual tone of these images isn't intended to be depressing at all. In actuality, the images are more about the passage of time and our place in it, particularly in natural settings. Risking pretentiousness, I might say that in a way I'm trying to capture the past in the present. Read previous posts about the technique here.
My wife and I were able to spend this past weekend in New York and were fortunate enough to see the Robert Frank's "The Americans" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I was familiar with Frank's work but must admit that I was really blown away by the collection. Several of the images particularly struck a chord with me because they seemed to be more about the essence of the moment rather than the subjects that they portrayed –exactly what I've been reaching for in this series. Some images were quite dark, and the subjects were treated as a vehicle to express some deeper emotion. They definitely gave me the encouragement that I needed to explore this experiment further.
