Image Description
This image, ‘Transitions‘, is one of the more complex of my Kryptomorphaics compositions in that it incorporates both a modicum of zoom blur and a large amount of rotation.
The recognition of this composition came to me during a nighttime photo-walk with a group of fellow photographers. While many were taking long exposure shots, I was on the prowl for something a little different: looking for what lies hidden under the surface and how I could bring this out. When I came upon a pair of white columns with a couple of spotlights on them, I knew that I had found my subject. Looking upon them, I noticed how they framed the traffic turning behind them, which helped me decide on the shot, as I set up my tripod.
What truly inspired me that night, was an event that occurred across the Atlantic Ocean in the Netherlands: the passing of the aunt, to whom I always felt a close connection. She had been suffering through the ravages of lung cancer, and I knew that my visit with her about a month earlier was the last time that I would see her. She and I always had a strong bond, and it was no different on this night. As I felt a strong pull, I captured this photograph in one take, and knew something significant had happened; a message from her sister the next morning confirmed what I had sensed: her transition to another plane of existence.
On this long exposure, I was certainly guided by her spirit, and when I saw the result on a bigger screen that night, I knew that we had created something special.
Technical Details
This image was captured with a Canon EOS 5D Mk II and 17-40mm f/4L lens at 100 ISO, f/20 at a 30 second shutter speed. The camera was rotated along its axis very slowly to get the smearing of the columns and create the window. A slight bit of zoom blur during this rotation created the depth.
