honorable mention
stephen connell united kingdom
title
solar Constant series
The medium of photography has a historically proven relevance to the documentation of the world we inhabit. With the advances in digital technology photography has never been so accessible, either to participate in or to view. Images can be taken on phones, posted and be globally visible within seconds. Photography remains a powerful tool in which anyone can illustrate and communicate environmental issues. Images can convey the full story of what's really happening in parts of the world where we may not see it with our own eyes. From the epic to the mundane, environmental issues are ever present in our daily lives, documenting them visually can ensure they remain in our collective conscience.
The series could only work in analog. Digital sensors would burn out after an 8 minute exposure pointing directly into the sun. The orange lines are where the sunlight is moving across the film, and has almost burnt through the negative. Solar constant not only embraces photography in its purist form, but recognizes the fragility of life itself.
Stephen Connell is an artist whose work tends to be landscape based, and often features man's influence on the natural environment.
back to gallery
entry description
The image has been shot on film with the use of a long exposure. It is intended to capture "solar constant". It takes 8.19 minutes for light to travel from the sun to the earth. This conceptual framework for this body of work is an exploration of the paradox, which exists in the relationship between the sun and earth. The basis of photography itself is traditionally rooted in the manipulation of light and shade from Fox Talbot's "photogenic drawings" onwards. The appropriateness of using photography to explore the effects of the sun interests me greatly.The medium of photography has a historically proven relevance to the documentation of the world we inhabit. With the advances in digital technology photography has never been so accessible, either to participate in or to view. Images can be taken on phones, posted and be globally visible within seconds. Photography remains a powerful tool in which anyone can illustrate and communicate environmental issues. Images can convey the full story of what's really happening in parts of the world where we may not see it with our own eyes. From the epic to the mundane, environmental issues are ever present in our daily lives, documenting them visually can ensure they remain in our collective conscience.
The series could only work in analog. Digital sensors would burn out after an 8 minute exposure pointing directly into the sun. The orange lines are where the sunlight is moving across the film, and has almost burnt through the negative. Solar constant not only embraces photography in its purist form, but recognizes the fragility of life itself.
about the photographer
Stephen Connell works with longer than normal exposures, with and without the use of ND filters. Connell's work not only is beautifully captured but often varys a dual narrative.Stephen Connell is an artist whose work tends to be landscape based, and often features man's influence on the natural environment.
back to gallery