Cartier-Bresson once said on his turning from painting from photography “the adventurer in me felt obliged to testify with a quicker instrument than a brush to the scars of the world”. These are timeless words pregnant with effect and meaning. Of course, not that I am harboring plans of turning from painting to photography, but the simpler act of pointing at a scene and shooting at will to create an instant kaleidoscope of colors that pleasures your mind is a very enticing prospect. It is precisely this intention that I pander to when I point the trusty little Canon digital on my way to work at a certain Brooklyn shoreline early morning at about seven or so before the Staten Island Ferry makes its sojourn across the New York harbor to deposit bleary eyed automatons to their regular day jobs. I have been trying to capture the essence the shifting patterns of light by aiming the camera at the same spot every day. Day after day and the results are very enlightening and never replicated – so much so that I am almost compelled to paint from this fount of changing color combinations. The beauty of the ever changing cloudscapes playing subtle games on the ripples below is timeless. Sometimes the stern of an appearing boat only adds to the excitement. I hope to continue this side project of mine and report back in about six month’s time to see if the morning presentations duplicates themselves on this Brooklyn shoreline at least once.
I have samples from the last four days…
Watch out, if you start falling for light, cloud, and water, you risk turning into Turner…
;-). Nice one…
I walked out this morning, looked at the sky and thought, “That’s a Constable sky.” And now I can look at Turner skies.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who looks upward and takes photos.
Kimberly,
Just yesterday, I was telling my wife how ‘Turnerish’ that first photo looked. Yes, I can be accused of a little bit of ego there, but it was not really that – I really did see it…
Sunil:
The better to help a tree grow I’d opine.
Your last shot is wonderful.
By the way, do you tend to see the same automatons day by day? Would that make a project?
SuniL:
And I would add that it’s not the size of your Canon that counts – so I’ve been told.