I bought a hundred glow sticks before leaving for vacation at the Outer Banks, NC. I figured they would be a fun way to play around on the beach at night, ring toss and so on… We then had the idea to make a group photograph with everyone involved. I set the exposure for the stars, the focus for the people, then took a couple 30 second exposures while three spelled out OBX and the rest of us jumped up and down in the background. Sometimes a byproduct of “fun” can be “art”.
I just so happened to be vacationing on the beach during the solar eclipse. Since we were in North Carolina, it was a way better view than back in Pennsylvania, however still a few hours north of being in totality. Nonetheless it was an amazing event and so beautiful to witness with clear skies. I had bought a bunch of certified glasses and a filter for my camera. It may not be the most amazing photograph, but it was a task any photographer would feel the need to complete.
I began this idea many weeks (or months) ago, but was not happy with the poses I had in mind. I decided to re-shoot it. Basically I wanted a man walking on a wire, but with such ease that there is almost no stress involved with the difficult task. I tied rope between two light stands, laid a soft mat on the floor, and then posed myself upside down – then I could simply flip the image 180 degrees and create a simple illusion. I tried a bunch with my feet but for some reason I decided to do a few poses with my hands. This was exactly the shot I was looking for… It makes me think about how sometimes, although it might be rare, we are encountered with a difficult situation or task and dive into it without worry or fear. It becomes effortless.
Kahn & Selesnick, “Constellation Matrix”, 2011
Nicholas Kahn from London and Richard Selesnick from New York are collaborative artists working with photography and installation art. Their images feel like fictitious histories set in both the past and future. Their work blends surreal storytelling with almost alien-like or fantasy worlds.. Many of the images really push the boundaries of the standard size with frames that stretch out very long. Others are a blending of many exposures, some taken by the NASA mission to Mars. See more at http://www.kahnselesnick.com/