From a Window: Art from the air

[compilerbitch]

737 Shines


This is the first of two (or possibly more) portfolios I'm putting together from aerial photography from my trip to the Haughton Mars Project site on Devon Island in the Canadian high arctic.

(All photos: Sarah Thompson/Haughton Mars Project)

During my trip, I found myself having considerable opportunity for aerial photography. In all, I photographed from a 737, a Beechcraft 100, a Twin Otter (two flights), a helicopter, and a C-130 Hercules (three flights). This portfolio is comprised of images from the 737, one of the Twin Otter flights and the helicopter. Locations are mostly Devon Island, unless specified.

Artistically speaking, what I am going for is applying a fairly forceful B&W presentation to aerial images, giving a traditional landscape photography feel to images that are more typically seen in mapping systems like Google Earth. All of these photos were shot with a Nikon D200, hand-held. The helicopter shots were shot without glass, with the door removed, so I was hanging out of the door from the copilot's seat, though I was wearing a 4-point harness. The other images were shot through windows, so I am grateful for finding glass with reasonably good optical quality.






All Together Now







Almost Home







Before Takeoff







Coastal







Edge







Fingerprint







Freezing Lake







Frost Polygons







Land and Sea







No Flow







No Green







No Trees, No Branches, No Fruit







Sea Ice







Slant







Three







Breccia Curves







Breccia Edge







Breccia Fan







Breccia Polygons







Breccia Polygons 2







Breccia







Broken Curve







Desire Lines







Dry River







Flow Stasis







Home







Hydrothermal Vents and Breccia







Mars Hab







No Step







Perspective







Welcome to Mars

Comments

[midendian.livejournal.com]

Awesome! "No trees" and "No green" are my favourites.

That engine isn't something you see on 737's often anymore... it's a P&W JT8D used on the original 737-100/200.

[darcydodo]

Sea Ice is absolutely one that I've seen with my own eyes. It's wonderful. (They all are.)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

Good to know I'm not the only person who thought along the lines of "that's an old design... was that a 737-jurassic?" There are more of them still operating than I thought, it seems.
It's much easier to explain thrust reversers on them than newer engines :)

[hilarityallen.livejournal.com]

Very very beautiful.

[new-brunette.livejournal.com]

This has to be a book at some point.

[lady-illflower.livejournal.com]

They're really fascinating and gorgeous! If it was an exhibition I'd go see it and if it was a book I'd buy it.

"Flow stasis" breaks my brain from sheer fabulousness.

Ooooh! Aaaaah!

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

"Three", "No Green", "Slant", and "Edge" appeal to me in much the same ways. "Flow Stasis" is really spectacular. These aerials work out nicely with that level of contrast and etc.

Hope this stuff gets you wider exposure!

[redbird]

The ones that struck me particularly are "All Together Now" (not, I think, just because I saw it first), "Three," and "Flow Stasis."

"Welcome to Mars" is good work, but it feels more straightforward documentary and less artistic, if those terms make sense.

[en-ki.livejournal.com]

The abstract textures in "Slant", "Fingerprint", and "Frost Polygons" are especially nice. If you're ever offering prints or desktop-sized digital versions, I'd love to hear about it.

[cyan-blue.livejournal.com]

I like "Flow Stasis" and "Breccia Curve"

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Absolutely amazing textures and contrast. I agree that there should be a book.

[yvesilena.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous! Oddly enough the very bleakness makes me want to be there - both the photos and the captions.

[linley.livejournal.com]

These are stunning. Some of them--Sea Ice in particular--look like drawings rather than photos. Such a bleak but gorgeous landscape. I so want to visit.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

It was an unusual 737, in a combined passenger/cargo configuration with a big hatch in the side. I have photos, I should dig them out and post them if you're interested.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

As I mentioned to midendian, this was a bit of a weird 737, in a mixed passenger/cargo configuration. You really do meet some strange aircraft in northern Canada.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :-)

There are more to come. It'll still be probably weeks until I've processed everything from the trip.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :-)

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Hmm... could be done... I should definitely have enough material, I think.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks -- coming from you, that is really a huge compliment, and I do appreciate it. :-)

Devon Island is a scary, inhospitable place at times, but it's also utterly stunning in many respects. I feel very privileged for having had the chance to go there. The photography had to be fitted in around lots of other responsibilities, but even then, I did have enough time to devote to it that I got some results I'm pleased with. There's a lot more to come, so I'll be making a few more of these posts over the next few weeks, I hope. :-)

Re: Ooooh! Aaaaah!

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

I must admit, I had this project in mind before the trip, and shot a lot of aerial stuff with it in mind, but I'd never really seen aerial photography approached from a fine art perspective, so I really had no idea whether the idea had legs on it. I've been very pleased with the results so far, however, so I think I'll continue to push on with the rest of the material (this is just from about 3 days or so of shooting, there is a fair bit more to go just of aerial stuff).

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

The couple of shots of the Mars hab will probably end up in a different portfolio actually -- you're right that they don't fit with this set so well, but they probably will work for slightly more journalistic portfolio I have planned (which NGS want to see, so...)

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

There will be prints at some point, after I've processed everything. I suspect I'll probably do it on a mass production basis once all the preliminary work is done -- I'll print, mat and frame everything in a long weekend in a few weeks time.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :-)

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

I am coming around to thinking, yes, there probably should be a book, or I'll bankrupt myself making prints! :-)

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

It is a strangely compelling place. Many aspects of being there are pretty frightening -- extreme weather, the (real) possibility of being eaten by a polar bear, the sheer isolation. Nevertheless, it really is stunning. There is also a tendency to get reality-check moments, where you find yourself thinking, 'Holy crap, I'm near the magnetic north pole thousands of miles from home eeeek!'

Then, there are experiences like being part of a group that visited part of the island for the first time in recorded history, where our traverse leader actually got to name the place (Pat's Cove). I suppose that makes me a polar explorer. This still boggles me.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Getting there isn't easy, but it's worth it, I think. :-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_nicolai_/]

Combi/QC?
This one then?

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

gorgeous pics, though i have to say it looks like a place i'd never want to stay!

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

Yep, that's the one. And yes, definitely set up for use with gravel strips -- nothing much north of Yellowknife on the whole has tarmac runways. Both Cambridge Bay and Resolute have gravel strips. Really far north, the strips are often too short and/or too bumpy for modern aircraft, so Twin Otters pretty much have the entire business.

[compilerbitch.livejournal.com]

That's a reasonable conclusion to make. It's cold, somewhat perilous, and awesome (for all meanings of that word).

[midendian.livejournal.com]

Interesting... I didn't know there was a 737 combi! I was going to guess it was a CT-43.