I always talk about how the camera is a recording device for time. Those milliseconds of clicking shutter forever seal a sight, never to be repeated. With people, I always think of visual characteristics. They transform with time. I can easily note the differences in my own youthful pictures. The camera seals and protects those moments eternally.
Likewise, the location can frequently transform. Indeed, abandoned structures are already at a critical end of life stage and can disappear swiftly.
I think that’s why I always get a sense of urgency with each shoot. I know how many variables are rapidly changing that will alter my images. Light, weather, a model’s health and well-being – these are just a tiny sampling of a myriad of influences to those pictures.
I have this ideal notion of my expected result. But does it always happen?
Friends who have assisted sometimes get frustrated with my obsessive impulses to control these fluctuating details. I know how suddenly things can change. There are no assurances from nature or mankind on any of this. Managing these variables is an ongoing process.
In the end, models and locations come and go. I’m excited when either offers beautiful possibilities to capture. But it always seems like time has its own thoughts and can easily render those options a thing of the past.
This set of images represents that predicament. I find a location that’s amazing. I find a model that has talent. And as fast as lightning, they are both lost and I’m back to square one. Am I whining? You bet! It’s always a race to snatch these amazing elements and produce an accomplished record. And, hopefully, the results are worth it.
