Elements



“One of those bodies into which other bodies can be decomposed

and which itself is not capable of being divided into other.”

Aristotle





These images were created as an exploration of the natural world and its forms under motion and rest. They show our surroundings in a raw form, where the classical elements of our world can be seen. These classical elements: wind, water, earth and fire, can be easily illustrated visually. It is difficult to isolate a single element, as each is intricately intertwined with the other elements. These basic elemental combinations illustrate how each part of our world is interconnected and ultimately, connected to us, as well. It is at this thin edge, on the surface of the earth, that many of these interactions take place - between these seamless borders of the elements. Dramatic changes are forever present at these edges. Water and land collide to form endless, rugged coastlines. Air is forced against the land and ocean as wind, which scours and sculpts the rocks. It is also this wind that drives the waves to crash explosively or glide gently onto the coastline. As fire from within the earth moves the land, the sun in the sky gives light and warmth affecting all things. Motion becomes the mechanism for interaction of the elements. It is through movement that the elements interact and combine.



Motion is one thing that photography is especially good at capturing. The camera can see in various durations of time, either in a very short fraction of a second or in extremely long exposures, hours, in fact. Through these capabilities of the camera, we can experience the world in new ways. The way the wind moves through the trees, or the course that water follows with its swirls and eddies, can be studied through various durations of time. By examining the elements and their combinations, we can gain insight into the power and energy behind the movement and composition of our world.