At this point, I am working with several different concepts of the “trace.” First, there is light, which when photographed correctly, appears as traces or rays emanating from the original source. Similarly, shadows are traces of forms, created when light shines in just the right direction. Also capturing my imagination is the notion of traces in the form of objects in a space. When an architect designs a structure, they construct a human trace on the “empty” space of the natural environment. The structure may last for years, but in the long run, it is a relatively temporary object, a trace. Similarly, when we decorate our interior spaces, we fill empty space temporarily with objects that are traces of our existence within that space. I am experimenting with photographing objects with long exposures; moving the objects around, creating a “ghost”-like effect that emphasizes how these objects act as traces in otherwise empty space. This could lead nowhere, but I find it worth exploring.
Tokohiro Saito’s use of exposure and light comes to mind when thinking of light as a trace, but I do not want to simply copy his style, so much as use some of his techniques. In viewing objects as traces, Anthony Hernandez’s documentation of the possessions of homeless people captures the notion of objects as a person’s trace. Given my current experimentation with exposure, I plan to try some significant manipulation, but I want to focus on pre-photoshop effects more than photoshop alterations. At this point I plan to shoot in color, but will not rule out black and white, if it is appropriate. I plan to stage some of my photographs, especially any using long exposures, but will use a mix of staged and found scenes.
