Observed Moments
I was walking down fifth avenue and saw this image, paused turned back and asked the person if it would be ok to make an image of their shoes. They looked a little puzzled, but said, ok. After making the image I showed it to them and they said, “wow very cool, I had no idea”.
One of the great satisfactions of photography is being able to make an image of those fleeting moments that we come upon every day.
I’ve always thought of myself as an observer. As such photography became the means by which I could communicate what I saw.
While living in New York City I often made a study of the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Living in midtown I would look downtown and see the towers. Moving around the city and coming up from the subway I would look for the towers giving me an immediate sense of where I was in the city. They became an orientation a defining feature of the cityscape.
Over the years I photographed a variety of assignments there; Buckminster Fuller giving a lecture, and ad for Windows on the World, corporate marketing for UPS, etc. As I moved around the city I would observe the towers making images of them in relationship to the various neighborhoods. Like many New Yorkers I oriented physically and psychologically with the twin towers. That sense remains with me, I think it always will.
Technological limitations with the iPhone11Pro camera results in an opportunity to discover new expressions in an image. This image for example was made after dusk in low light. Phone cameras have a challenge recording images in low light conditions. This image of the dingy creates a mood that an exacting image made with my high end Nikon would not. The pixels are breaking up, the colors degraded, a technical issue called “noise” and there is a loss of sharpness. The result is that the image takes on a painterly look and creates a feeling that is moody and ambiguous.
Low light image of a boat on Sarasota bay with the iPhone11Pro camera.
Clouds at sunset in Sarasota, Florida on September 2, 2020.
Skies of Sarasota No.5
Made with the iPhone11Pro camera. No filters, a raw image observed.
Full Moon, September 1, 2020. Sarsaota, Florida
Sarasota Skies, No. 4
Sunset over Sarasota Bay, Sarasota, Florida
I made this image with the iPhone11Pro/camera. No filters, no adjustments, raw from the camera.
One of the things I like about this image is the shapes of the clouds which remind me of mountains on the horizon.
This time of year Sarasota has dramatic skies. Beyond the the beauty of nature there is an opportunity to experience in an elemental way the energy of connection between heaven and earth. Sometimes the clouds are dark and foreboding and even then behind the darkness there is light. Taking time to be present and take in the moment can be a teaching. Nature is the source.
Sarasota Bay, sunsetSkies of Sarasota No.2
Skies of SARASOTA
July through September in Sarasota, Florida produces a showcase of skyscapes and cloud dramas.
