Liquid (squares)

I’m fascinated by things that are present but can’t be truly seen. The LIQUID series captures figures that are moving too fast to perceive with the naked eye. Part of the attraction, for me, is the technical knowledge and discipline that is necessary to capture the image. Hacking hardware, mastering and modifying complex software, and assembling disparate pieces into robust mechanisms are all necessary parts of the process. In this project, solenoids, software, and hand-wired strobes are used to shape liquid and stop time. But what’s most important is the challenge of visualizing a scene that can’t be seen directly. Unlike traditional photography, the viewfinder isn’t a window to the final image. It’s merely a display of vital statistics—focus distance, aperture, and shutter speed. The image is composed in thought and realized after the fact. It is a manifestation of experience and imagination. My LIQUID images explore the beauty, strength, and exuberant chaos of water drops. In these photographs, water forms shapes that are oddly familiar, often funny, sometimes ominous. There is no singular or objective truth captured, but our imaginations can’t help but imbue the forms with personal meaning. And while the images are color, these small worlds insist that they are black and white. Primeval. Elemental.