Ayamikhan

Among the photographs I made during my years in Nepal are two silhouettes of the Hyatt against the surrounding landscape.

The photographs in this series were taken with a disposable Kodak camera whose cardboard and plastic body became waterlogged during the monsoon. Despite its condition, it survived long enough to document a few moments from my years in the Himalayas.

At the time, the unseen foreground was an extensive landfill of plastic bags, rotting refuse, insects and stray dogs on land owned by a nearby monastery.

By fortunate timing rather than careful planning, I arrived as the setting sun cast the foreground into deep shadow, concealing the landfill and revealing only the landscape beyond. That was the moment I made the photographs.

When the developer later showed the images to local people, something unexpected happened. They did not simply see the Hyatt or the mountains. They saw the possibility of the land itself.

Funds were raised to purchase the site, clear the waste, and transform it into gardens and a plant nursery.

I have often thought that the camera did not hide reality. It revealed another one.

Sometimes a photograph is not only a record of what exists, but a quiet suggestion of what could exist.

I created this account as an experiment.

I have not used a camera
for over twenty years,
but use 3D CGI, for a few things.

One is to re-create, or re-interpret,
images that I found beautiful.

Four years ago,
I contacted Marta Gromova,
and informed her I wanted,
with her permission, to create in 3D,
a variation of one of her photoshoots,
https://www.instagram.com/p/CTrGg5IMM_n/

She liked the idea,
and the result was popular on Instagram.

So, now I choose this image
to open my portfolio,
even though it is not real photography.

It does use a camera,
or, camera shader, part of the
industry standard renderer,
I use, as are the lights.

The rendering engine allows me
to reproduce atmospheric lighting,
such as sun or moon,
exterior street lights,
and interior spot lights,
as well as from lamps,
candles and so on.

It also calculates the
colour, intensity, and angles,
of specular highlights,
shadows and reflections,
et cetera, perfectly.

The response to this,
here on STRKNG, is warming.

I am honoured,
that I am in the top ten
of trending photographers,
for this final week of June.

Thank you, STRKNG,
and all of you,
models and photographers,
for welcoming me.

Experimente mit schwacher Beleuchtung,
um die Muskulatur des Körpers hervorzuheben
und eine sinnliche Stimmung zu erzeugen.

Wenn ich die Mittel hätte,
würde ich diese und andere Ideen
mit echter Fotografie umsetzen.

Experiments with low lighting,
to accentuate the musculature of physique,
and create a sensual mood.

If I had the resources,
I would make these
and other ideas I have,
with real photography.