Epiphany moments
They happen periodically to all togs who are on a journey of developing their technique and personal vision.
They are an essential element of your growth as an artistic being and, when they do happen, things are never the same again.
Spring rain clouds over Pagham Harbour, West Sussex
Nikon D810, 50mm f1.4 Nikkor, ISO 64, 1 second at f8, 10-stop ND, tripod
27th March 2016
Sunset at Kilve beach, Somerset
Nikon D810, 14-24mm f2.8 Nikkor, ISO 64, 1/13 second at f11, tripod
23rd June 2015
Epiphany moments spontaneously manifest at a conjunction of experience, knowledge, memory and insight; and like the last piece that completes the picture on a jigsaw puzzle that we have been working on for weeks or months, suddenly everything fits together and makes complete - and completed - sense.
Paddington Central, London
Nikon D810, 70-300 Nikkor @270mm, ISO 64, 1/13 second at f11, tripod
17th April 2016
Paddington Central, London
Nikon D810, 14-24mm f2.8 Nikkor @14mm, ISO 64, 1/30 second at f11, tripod
17th April 2016
Such moments of clarity seem to ignite a flash of light somewhere in our psyche; when notions of the method or the aesthetic of our work unexpectedly evolve and a significant emotional and cerebral transition occurs within us - and the things we perhaps previously imagined were established, permanent or immutable are abruptly transformed into something fresh and stimulating.
When our vision evolves as a result of these moments, we move forward to what is sometimes referred to as the next, or another level.
Paddington Central, London
Nikon D810, 14-24mm f2.8 Nikkor @24mm, ISO 64, 1/15 second at f13, tripod
17th April 2016
Being habitually a colour landscape and coastal shooter (with periodical excursions into black and white territory - like the coastal images in this blog post) the urban images posted here were a recent “monochrome architectural epiphany moment” for me.
I processed these Paddington Central photos in a contrasty black and white style and was blown away when the graphics of the colour images transformed like this. With the angular, geometric aesthetic; with the modern construction materials and surface textures and contours stripped of their hues; and with the featureless white sky's negative space as a simple, complementary, background counterpoint, the success (to my eyes anyway) was a revelation - an epiphany moment. Perhaps, to an experienced architog, the images are not that special or remarkable. Perhaps also it would be no surprise to them that that the process should end in a positive result like this, but because the sub-genre is relatively new to me, the creative enjoyment of seeing the images evolve in this way was palpable.
Much like the techniques that I subconsciously refer to and use when I am pre-visualising during my landscaping, it's a process option that will be in the back of my mind when I am shooting an urban environment again.
Of course epiphany moments can be earth-shattering instances of great significance - like the essence of the discoveries or hypotheses put forward by the likes of Archimedes, Newton or Einstein. But, let's not get carried away, eh? For most of us mere mortals, they are nothing of the sort - they are unforeseen evolutions of earlier notions of what's what; they are incremental and deeply subjective, resonating on a purely personal level. More often than not, they will be abrupt and unexpected - and they will also be both powerful and subtle in the way they present us with fresh understanding and new and deeper perspectives. The sensations they offer up at the moment of realisation - and the fulfilling learning experiences and material outcomes they inspire - are part of what makes the photographic genre so constantly, irresistibly
compelling.
