October:
Time workshop
After
a pause due to illness, the Saltspring group got together to examine
student photographs that expressed their own 'take' on time. Greg
lead the group through their set of images that he paired with images
he had selected from the internet that seemed to reflect the ideas
presented in the student's photographs. His emphasis was on two
aspects of camera time; frozen motion and blurred motion, and the
compositional considerations that accompanied these two technical
camera options. We use both the camera and composition to communicate
our ideas. He brought us back to considering the formal qualities in
each image and how colour, line, form, etc. and their relationships
within the frame are, along with the specific subject matter, vital
to communication. And communication in an ordered form is what art is
all about.
A
photograph that was my own personal take on time, and which did not
use frozen or blurred motion was this one on 'eternity', or outside
of time. Time can be thematic, (the subject), as well, as Simon
demonstrated in his last presentation.
Greg
used my photograph to demonstrate frozen, fast shutter speed time. I
later pointed out how I had used a very low vantage point ( hand
held, at surf level) to position the figure high against the sea and
sky and thereby increased the dramatic effect.
An
extreme example of blur stemming from slow shutter speed is this shot
from the ferry of streaky waves, dark land and sunset sky. By
abstracting the scene into its principle underlying forms I
communicate the feeling by suppressing detail.
Time, speed, distance. Shutter speed is brief, but within that time we see the blur of speed and feel the sense of motion through time.
A straight forward image of time's relentless melt.
So, how does this image reflect time? The second part, the completion, of any communication (work of art) takes place within the mind of the viewer.
