Trip to MoCP: A Photo by Jamey Stillings

Note: the above photos are not the exact image, however the later image is a portion of the photograph I viewed at the Museum of Contemporary Photography.

Today we took a trip to the Museum of Contemporary Photography for Pop Up Saturdays. We gave the students the task of selecting a photography they liked and jotting down notes about that photograph to then create a video blog post around it. I thought it best to participate in this activity, as well. Especially when I came across the above photograph.

I was really struck by the photo Downstream View from Dam, April 28, 2009 by Jamey Stillings. I was drawn to it’s larger size canvas and the night scape that is the photograph’s background. The photo, overall, has a whimsical element with the myriad of illuminated and silver lines that are the bridge and electric towers seen in the 2nd image. I enjoy how what is real can be made to look like fantasy, and allows me to see our world’s landscapes as enchanting, rather than just a concrete, man-made necessary structure. 

As you can somewhat see, the photography contains these layers of towers that seem to be coming off the side of the mountain. Going from the first image to the second image that I’ve posted you can see the difference and what depth it adds to the photo. In the actual photograph, these towers are placed on both sides. The bridge is the focus even though it is one of the smaller objects in the photograph, but its largeness is enhanced with the lighting.

The photo looks real and fake all at the same time and I think this is what captured my attention. I love the navy blue and silver colors that make up this photograph, along with its mixture of strait lines and rounded shapes. I believe that adds to the opposites affect of the photo.

In his statement regarding this particular photograph Stillings says this photo represents the intersection of nature and human intervention, “How a structure and its creation is documented greatly impacts how it is remember.” This is a powerful statement because our reference points for much of our history relies on how someone chose to document it. We will remember this bridge based on one of the resources such as this photo. How do we want to remember that which we make?

by Jennifer