Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Self-portrait of the photographer on the beach with back to the camera

I shot this photo immediately after the one of the woman sitting on the boardwalk looking out at the waves and the lighthouse from two days ago. She had moved on before I could change lenses for a wider angle shot. So I decided to sub for her.

I set a cable release to hold the shutter open and then walked into position and stood as still as I could for the next 120 seconds. This allowed the waves and the clouds overhead to register as blurred moving objects while I stood frozen in time. I then walked back to the camera and closed the shutter. The exposure time was so long that my movements did not show on the film.

This photo says something about the world as it moves and breathes about me as I spend my few seconds of time standing on the face of this planet. It will continue long after I am gone from the scene. My movements barely register in the larger scheme of things - I don't recall world commerce stopping in its tracks because my car broke down in Michigan last week, for instance. But my movements matter to me and to those who are close to me. And I guess that's all that really matters.

Click on picture to enlarge. Photograph © 2007 James Jordan.

2 comments:

Wanda said...

...And they matter to me, James. That's a beautiful shot....and I love your explanation of it.

Cheryl said...

Wow, I did not know that leaving the shutter open that long would not reveal you walking out there...such a cool photo!