honorable mention
Thomas Morel norway
title
The Unknown Element
A moment, however beautiful, only lasts for a second. And even though a gesture, or a spectacular jump can be beautiful when you see it in it’s context, it can loose all it’s value when it is stopped and frozen into a moment of all eternity.
The real art of photography is to be able to capture this exact, this very short moment of time when this gesture is at it’s best, in a way that honours the motion itself.
This is a series of images that are only interesting because they have been captured at a specific moment. If you would have been present at the shoot, the only thing you would have seen would be sweating, heavily breathing dancers who tremble and fall and land roughly back on earth.
But that is the beauty of photography; ripping a movement out of it's context, showing a slice of time where every element was just at the right position.
“While I was still at school I created a business plan to persuade the bank manager that photography was my future,” he says. “At the time I had no training, no equipment and no references, just a burning passion. When I reached 18 I got a loan and went and invested in my first Hasselblad, an H3DII-31, and a full complement of broncolor studio lighting.”
Not only was the H3D the perfect camera for stopping action, but it also delivered files packed with awesome quality, allowing the full impact of Thomas’ amazing images to shine through. “I didn’t want to risk shooting a really great image only to be frustrated by poor technical quality,” he says.
Remarkably Thomas captures his shots through the speed of his reactions rather than by relying on a trigger to fire his shutter. He locks up the mirror on his camera and then can expect an almost instantaneous response when he presses the shutter. The ability to see through the lens is lost, but with the Hasselblad on a tripod and focused on the point of interest, it’s just a case of waiting for the moment and being quick enough to react.
The extraordinary portfolio of images Thomas has created is testament to his skill at mastering the difficult art of timing and it’s allowed him to forge a reputation for himself as one of the most original and eye-catching photographers working today.
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entry description
Showing the beauty of the human body inside an element that actually is very hostile for our body; water.A moment, however beautiful, only lasts for a second. And even though a gesture, or a spectacular jump can be beautiful when you see it in it’s context, it can loose all it’s value when it is stopped and frozen into a moment of all eternity.
The real art of photography is to be able to capture this exact, this very short moment of time when this gesture is at it’s best, in a way that honours the motion itself.
This is a series of images that are only interesting because they have been captured at a specific moment. If you would have been present at the shoot, the only thing you would have seen would be sweating, heavily breathing dancers who tremble and fall and land roughly back on earth.
But that is the beauty of photography; ripping a movement out of it's context, showing a slice of time where every element was just at the right position.
about the photographer
As a former gymnast, speed and movement and, particularly, the moment that was too rapid for the human eye to see, fascinated him. He determined that this would be the focus of his work, and he concentrated on teaching himself the skills he needed to master high-speed work.“While I was still at school I created a business plan to persuade the bank manager that photography was my future,” he says. “At the time I had no training, no equipment and no references, just a burning passion. When I reached 18 I got a loan and went and invested in my first Hasselblad, an H3DII-31, and a full complement of broncolor studio lighting.”
Not only was the H3D the perfect camera for stopping action, but it also delivered files packed with awesome quality, allowing the full impact of Thomas’ amazing images to shine through. “I didn’t want to risk shooting a really great image only to be frustrated by poor technical quality,” he says.
Remarkably Thomas captures his shots through the speed of his reactions rather than by relying on a trigger to fire his shutter. He locks up the mirror on his camera and then can expect an almost instantaneous response when he presses the shutter. The ability to see through the lens is lost, but with the Hasselblad on a tripod and focused on the point of interest, it’s just a case of waiting for the moment and being quick enough to react.
The extraordinary portfolio of images Thomas has created is testament to his skill at mastering the difficult art of timing and it’s allowed him to forge a reputation for himself as one of the most original and eye-catching photographers working today.
back to gallery