Drapery

[Paul Lange]

I say drapery because the plan was to photograph drapery. Really it's more like balls of fabric but that doesn't have the same ring. I suppose I should just stick with Fabric but I have already called a post that. If anyone does have a good name, answers on a post card addressed to................

When I have been getting a chance I have continued on photographing various fabrics in different ways. I plan to put it all together in a photobook in the end. I guess it may make a bit more sense all viewed in context that way. Here are some of my favourites so far. I have more but wanted to show sets where the images work together nicely. Anyway, I am kind of blathering at the moment because I am more of thinking out loud than actually trying to say something so I think I should stop.

These three all had a flash gun buried somewhere inside the fabric. While fabric works best. I did try other colours but they seem to block the light where as the white fabric diffuses it in varying degrees depending on different parts having more layers than others. The first two I will probably crop a bit more square eventually.


_DSC1342 by Paul R Lange, on Flickr



_DSC1341 by Paul R Lange, on Flickr



_DSC1336 by Paul R Lange, on Flickr

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Love the two-tone effect of the first and last. The flash works really well. Interesting project, Paul.

 

[Paul Lange]

Cheers Rob. I do keep wondering if I should change the middle one to be similar in colour to the others. It will probably make it all work together better.

 

[Pete Askew]

Goodness gracious, what great balls of...

I like the second of the two balls best but my favourite is the third: are they hands I see. It has a slightly ritualistic feel to it, sort of like some middle eastern dance. That could pan out as a theme I guess, a sort of invented ritual.

 

[Beth Carter]

these are getting more and more abstract, hard to see it's drapery and not some mysterious fog, especially in the last one. intriguing images.

 

[Paul Lange]

Thanks. No hands in the photographs just the shadows from underlying layers of fabric. My idea for the first to is to have them in the middle of a square frame surrounded by quite a large area of darkness. They probably don't look as effective in their current state as they aren't framed very well.

 

[Paul Lange]

Here is a few more. This is a new version of something I have posted before.

_DSC1087 by Paul R Lange, on Flickr

These are some newer ones that again have not been cropped and re-framed yet. These two are a set but still need a bit of tweaking.

_DSC1407 by Paul R Lange, on Flickr





_DSC1416 by Paul R Lange, on Flickr

 

[Chris Dodkin]

#3 has a great feeling of movement and space - like looking at an interstellar cloud through a telescope

 

[Nihat Iyriboz]

I can see you exhibiting at Guggenheim, Paul!

 

[Paul Lange]

Wow, thank you Nihat but I think it is undeserved praised for a novice like me.

 

[Nihat Iyriboz]

Paco de Lucia, the all time grand flamenco guitarist, tells this story on his personal documentary video. One day, as he listens to the radio whilst driving, he hears this wonderful flamenco guitarist playing alegrias, a form in flamenco. He thinks "this is so beautiful". Shortly after, he realizes that it is a piece he recorded many years ago. That's him playing... Immediately, he has this growing negative critique about himself that leads him to not liking his beautiful piece as much. This may be an essential element to grow as an artist.

Yet, the following is also our reality.

We are all novices, but born artists going through life with social comparisons and indoctrinations that condition us not to celebrate who we really are. That is inherent in most of us. The struggle is to overcome the barriers that life has given us and return to our natural state of being. The secret is to find a balance in these two elements of reality. I still can see you there, Paul.. It's matter of time..

 

[Paul Lange]

Thank you Nihat for those woderful words.