Stuart Allen (San Antonio, TX), Sunset - One Photograph Every Minute / 29° 29' 57 N ~ 98° 28' 19 W /
4 - 11 2007, 2007/2008, 22 x 36 inches, Pigment print on rag paper, Courtesy of the artist and
PDNB Gallery, Dallas, TX
Stuart Allen (San Antonio, TX), Stuart Allen, Sunrise - One Photograph Every Three Minutes / 29° 27' 8 N ~
98° 30' 4 W /
04 - 29 2007, 2007/2008, 22 x 36 inches, Pigment print on rag paper, Courtesy of the artist and PDNB Gallery, Dallas, TX
Stuart Allen (San Antonio, TX), Stuart Allen, Seven Days at Noon / 29° 27' 8 N ~ 98° 30' 4 W, 2007/2008, Pigment print on rag paper, 22 x 36 inches, Courtesy of the artist and PDNB Gallery, Dallas, TX
Artist Statement
The human eye is an extraordinary instrument, able to rapidly interpret light across a wide range of color, contrast, and intensity. By comparison, the camera is an engineering compromise, calibrated for the average values within each of these ranges. Yet, because it records light in a different manner than our own physiology, photography has the ability to describe the world in ways that our eyes cannot. Subtle variations in the color of light, for example, are difficult to perceive; our eyes immediately correct for such changes. Using the camera as an intermediary, the Light Maps series provides information about the character of light that may have gone unnoticed on a conscious level.
By disabling the automatic white balance feature of a digital camera, I am able to record the changing color of daylight within a given timeframe. A piece of white sailcloth is mounted in front of the camera lens, the device is exposed to direct sunlight, and exposures are made at specific intervals of time. The resulting images are cropped to vertical strips, then assembled to make one print. At the base of each strip, small numbers indicate the time of day for a given frame. Sunrise and sunset times are marked when relevant. Titles indicate the timeframe represented and the location in longitude / latitude coordinates.
|
