Print of the Month
August 2023
Eternal Cycles
Maine, USA
Print on A3 paper, Edition of 25
Visiting New England, USA during the autumn can be a magical experience for photographers. Many years ago, I was in Maine attending a workshop given by American photographer John Paul Caponigro—a fantastic experience in many ways. After the workshop I enjoyed a few days of photography on my own.
I had been practising and experimenting with ICM (intentional camera movement) for a few years at that point, having been particularly inspired by the earlier work of nature photographer William Neill. I’d seen his beautiful photographs of tree trunks turned into lovely, translucent streaks through a process of moving the camera vertically during a long exposure. I wondered what might be achieved by using different types and directions of motion to create the blur effect.
On a beautiful fall day during that trip through Maine I was feeling inspired by the splendour of the autumn colours. I attached my camera by its mounting plate to the end of my tripod’s centre column, which also featured an articulating hinge. This allowed me to rotate the camera around the axis of the lens. I pointed the camera upward toward the canopy of multi-coloured autumn leaves set against a brilliant blue sky, and during long exposures rotated the camera to produce the swirling effect you see here. Through lots of trial-and-error I eventually found a combination of camera settings and techniques that produced the effect I had envisioned in my mind.
That day I spent hours alone in the forest with my camera, making many photographs and enjoying the solitude and a very engaging creative process. This photograph is one of the results. I’ve titled it ‘Eternal Cycles’, evoking the motion of the changing seasons and the enduring and magnificent colours of nature.
Over the years, this image has been one of my most successful photographs. Many times I’ve printed it in very large format on canvas and then embellished the canvas with clear acrylic brush strokes, creating a unique, one-of-a-kind original work of art.
Now, for the first time, I’m offering Eternal Cycles as a fine art, limited edition print at a very special price.
