July 10, 2011

Trilogy of the Surf, by Gavin Seim. May 2011, on CA 1. Triptych print release pending. View the larger images below.

The Pacific Ocean mesmerized me as we drove, trailer in tow, along Route 1 this Spring. It’s so vast, an endless expanse peeking through the passing trees. I spotted a large pull-off along the winding highway, so we stopped for the view and a trailer break. Cyrus and I looked over the edge, seeing the waves strike against the rocks below. Soon I found myself setting up, adjusting the composition and then capturing frame after frame. I was entranced at how each and every image could be so similar and yet so different, the patterns and tones of water combining in endless ways along the rock, though all going to the same place.

Normally, I’m all about a single frame, but it was too little here. Sometimes I break my own rules, and, after a lot of consideration, I really felt this sequence worked. I spent hours finalizing which final images would go into it, and how I could best present them. Then weeks went by as I rethought, making sure I could do nothing to make it better. I’ve also made some test prints, and I plan to release it as a single triptych print and perhaps a few as three separate images (kept together, of course).

Due to the computer’s insufficiency at conveying a wide image, I’m also adding the individual frames from the sequence below so you can take in a bit more detail. Just bear in mind; they will be presented as the triptych above, not separated by themselves. I hope these waves mesmerize you as much as they do me. Enjoy…

Gav

See all three images lather and read details…

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June 4, 2011

Endless lines with dappled light and colors, even after sunset. I think there’s a lot to learn about photography from the ocean: the patterns and lines, the way it plays the light.  Never have I seen so many perfect lines as in the waves and currents. Now excuse the quality of this video as I was using only my iPhone, and  it was nearly dark, but crank it up to HD, and I hope you’ll get a little of what I felt here.

This is from our Spring tour while in Pismo. I did take home some photos of the ocean that you may have seen in the archives, but the other thing I took home was awe. Maybe I just sound crazy, but my excitement was genuine. I came away with stronger concepts of line and tone. I’ve always loved water, but this challenges me to look at it even closer; to see beauty even in the smallest details of surf and learn something about light from its ever changing surface.

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