Ice Lagoon, and how size can matter (and an apology and correction)
14/07/2019 13:25
First, a quick apology and correction: somehow my photo of a boat at Orlebar Point has appeared with some of my musings. That photo will not be in my show at the Professional Centre; I apologize for any confusion about that. Read more about another photo, though, and how size can matter, in my musings about "Ice Lagoon"…
In these musings about the photographs I've printed for the show at the Professional Centre, I've preferred to avoid showing copies of images of those prints online. Part of that choice has been a crass attempt at marketing, by creating curiosity about the images without disclosing what the image looks like. That attempt back-fired on me after posting some of my thoughts about the "Degnen Bay" print, when I noticed that some of the comments on that post appeared to refer to a different picture (a photo of a boat on the shore at Berry Point) that appeared on my web page or facebook page. I was a bit amused by the way some of the comments related fairly nicely to the boat picture, but I did not intend to mislead anyone. Further, I would like my words in this blog to tease, rather than disclose. I hope that the musings in these entries can apply to a variety of pictures, and that they don't create any preconceptions or expectations about the individual prints to be displayed at the Centre Gallery.
Having said that, let me now muse about Ice Lagoon. When I took that photograph, I was in awe of the immensity of the lagoon, and of the size of the icebergs across the lagoon from my vantage point. Looking at the image on my computer screen, things weren't as impressive. I still like the image, and I am still pleased that I have included it in the show. In my opinion, it "just doesn't work" as an image on a computer screen, at least as a depiction of a large lagoon with large icebergs. It does work as a print, though. In this case, size does matter - not because the print makes the icebergs look "iceberg size", but because the print conveys details and depth that can't be appreciated on most computer screens.
I have lately come to prefer prints over digital displays. My main reason for that, has been the lasting impact of a print on paper when compared to a quick glance at a web page. Along with that, the printing of Ice Lagoon has shown that the size of an image can help to convey the size of the subject matter, while also enhancing the perception of the scope and intricacy of the picture.
I have posted a copy of Ice Lagoon on facebook - not because it is the best of my pictures, and not because it really matches the impact of the print. Rather, I hope you will have that digital image in mind when you look at the print when it is displayed at the gallery.