Introducing "Field Notes"
My idea behind the "Filed Notes" series is simple. I want to provide some background information about the intent of my projects and series. In certain intervals I will be posting "Field Notes" that either contain technical or conceptual background information of my work.
// "Between The Light" and the "North Beach Rooftops" image
Being able to visit the city on a regular basis with the eyes of a stranger and observing how my own perception changed over time was a fascinating experience. I started to photograph San Francisco with the eyes of a tourist. After a while something changed. I looked at different subjects, concentrated on other aspects. I was not looking for the obvious, but for the hidden. I found pleasure in searching for a beauty in banal things. Not in a way Eggleston searched for the banal, more like the observation of Robert Adams. This shift in perception is what stands out for me.
"Between The Light" is an ongoing series that focuses on the change between night and day. My interest in the different atmosphere of a daytime image and a nighttime image is what kept me shooting during twilight.
Night hides detail and day reveals it again. We see things differently when we wander streets at night, similar to seeing things differently with the eyes of a stranger.
This shift in my perception, from a wider to a closer look and back, introduces a new way of seeing. The image "North Beach Rooftops" is a good example for the different areas we focus on. People that live in a place tend to see what is directly important and close to them, while being a visitor, our view tends to be wider and less focused. This idea is shown in the mentioned photograph. The very popular "Coit Tower" hidden in the distance and slightly blurred, stands in contrast to some focused banal objects in the foreground . This is my way to emphasis this shift of perception.