Maybe not the first name that pops into peoples heads when they think of photography or art but in reality Dr. Harold Eugene Edgerton aka Papa Flash helped advance high speed photography in ways previously unachievable. An engineering professor at MIT he began working on a way to freeze the motion of a motor in an image, allowing for it to be studied in finer detail. Pioneering the forefather of modern flashes by adapting a piece of lab equipment opened up a new world of experiments he could conduct. Not content with this he also advanced the speeds that a camera shutter could operate, allowing for even faster motions to be frozen in time. Still and quiet it’s aura laid bare to be scrutinised and admired, academic but also artistic in its make up. A conundrum to be had.
Kinetic energy captured for the naked eye to witness, looking almost arty but with deadly undertones that shouldn’t go unheeded. The freezing of the motion of the bullet and the damage in its wake offered a glimpse of what it does to the human body, the sacrificial apple not yet recoiling as its innards evacuate its mass. Its once perfect skin has ruptured but yet remains frozen for us to view. Bullets symbolise death and pain but this image retains beauty and a warmth, a contradiction but none the less awe inspiring.
Only a few years after creating the modern flash concept here we find Harold moving into sports based images. Using a multi flash and a long exposure has provided a side of a golf shot never before revealed. In modern terms this image could be captured in a smart phone and stitched together in Photoshop, bit back in the late 30’s Harold was providing images that were pushing the boundaries of what was possible at the time. Aesthetically pleasing and offering some symmetrical value, the image benefits further from being in black and white in my opinion, the eye isn’t distracted by bright colours, it allows for the subjects form to retain the attention. This is something I might refect in my work.
Craig Murray Photography 