26-JUN-2009
The Bridge of Glass, Tacoma, Washington, 2009
Artist Dale Chihuly’s remarkable bridge is dominated by two crystal towers, each rising 40 feet above its deck. Chihuly intended them to reflect light and “serve as beacons for the bridge and the city.” I echo Chihuly’s beacon theme in my own interpretation of his crystal towers. I shoot into an afternoon sun with a super wideangle 14mm focal length, and placed the sun just over one of the towers, as if it was on fire. The super wideangle lens turns the sun into an exploding star to complement the beacon idea. I deliberately underexpose the image by spotmetering on the sun. This turns day into night, the most appropriate setting for a beacon. The dome and sheds of Tacoma’s old Union Station are just across the bridge from the crystal towers, yet they seem to be far away. Because of the tllted angle at which I hold my lens for this shot, the station buildings appear distorted. This extreme wideangle perspective, offering distorted buildings, Dali-like clouds, and brooding dark colors, becomes utterly surreal, saturated in atmosphere and mood. The huge crystal beacons, made of Polyvitro, seem to sparkle in the darkness.
22-JUN-2009
World War I Memorial, Astoria, Oregon, 2009
I use the sweep of the 14mm super wideangle lens here to deliberately distort the scene and thereby tell my story. The memorial, dedicated ninety years ago, has been virtually swallowed by the growth of Astoria. It is tucked away next to a busy highway, lined with utility poles and the curving approach to a bridge spanning the Columbia River, linking Oregon to Washington. I stood underneath the heroic statue to make this shot, abstracting it in backlight, and tilting the camera up to distort the combative figure and extend the bridge, poles, and wires into a chaotic industrial environment. The rain clouds symbolically help express my idea as well – patches of blue struggle to be seen in the darkening sky. I use optical distortion, created by the super wideangle focal length and my vantage point, to symbolize the futility of fighting terrible wars which are eventually forgotten, overwhelmed by inevitable change.