|
||||||
|
Born in 1955 in Rockville Center, NY, United States 1987, Empire State College, New York, NY 1979, B.F.A., University of Buffalo, Buffalo, NY |
|||||
"LIGHTNING CAMERA ACTION: For over a decade, I've been photographing lightning striking New York City's prominent buildings and bridges from a loft and rooftop on the Brooklyn waterfront. My studio is on the fourth floor of the neighborhood's highest structure, an old factory building located on the inlet of Newtown Creek and the East River. The former giant industrial complex offers a strategic vantage point overlooking the vast artificial valley of Long Island City and East River, surrounded by the mountainous wall of the Manhattan Skyline and Queensboro Bridge. The panoramic view affords a rare opportunity to observe, study, and photograph the uncanny power and disturbing beauty of lightning. Seldom seen is this awesome clash between the natural forces of weather and artificial cityscape. That the city's buildings and bridges, considered the most developed real estate in the world, are dwarfed on a massive scale by the architecture of lightning, presents awakening insight. Even as the security of modern sophisticated technology surrounds us, there are still random moments when everything is still vulnerable to the uncontrollable forces of nature. All of the photos were taken at night, entirely without the use of filters. Color differences in the 35mm slides are mainly caused by light reflecting from the city onto the various weather systems. Exposures are approximately thirty seconds to one minute and contain a single lightning display. Sometimes a wide angle lens was used because of close proximity of the bolts to the camera. Surrounded by ageless myths and legends, lightning triggers a basic, inherent fear in all of us. Almost everyone's had a near encounter, reminding them of their vulnerability. It's vibrating aftershock leaves us with a feeling of awe and humility and the realization that we are all a small segment of the huge natural order of things. Perhaps lightning is nature's way of trying to reclaim her terrain, striking back at civilization for its arrogance and abuses against the environment. Man invades the landscape, building his concrete structures higher and higher; nature lashes back, sending down bolts of electricity to the earth. It's a desperate attempt to maintain sovereignty over her domain, fending off man's encroachment. The documentation of this historic battle, in a place where the most extremes clash together, is what makes photographing lightning striking New York City so compelling. Andy Warhol suggested that good art imitates nature; taken one step further, the best art is nature."
|
||||||
|
Selection of works from Greg Geffner |
Read
the guestbook of Greg Geffner
Sign
the guestbook of Greg Geffner |
|
