I have an affection for hauntings. I’m not a very daring or spontaneous person; I’m that person who doesn’t like spicy food or rollercoasters. I don’t even really like horror movies. But I am fascinated by the otherworldly in the sense of spirits or the supernatural. Tie that right into a rural upbringing stuffed full of oral history, and it’s no wonder I’m entranced by tales of the unexplainable.
The spirit world and photography have a pretty natural affection for one another. There’s an entire chapter of the history of photography devoted to spirit portraits, aura photography, and oodles more. We can’t help our fascination with those who aren’t with us physically. Working with cinemagraphs provides a pretty easy and contemporary avenue to create something that can play with our understanding of reality. Whether it be something as simple as a gentle wave in an otherwise static image, or something as elaborate as a disappearing form, I love the theatrical element of elevating otherwise predictable segments of time.
I don’t often make the creepier images, because I know it can get gimmicky or tiresome after a while. I like to keep things a little fresh. But it was too gloomy this morning to pass up the opportunity. I’ve put a couple of my attempts from today below!
What other things would you like to see happen in cinemagraphs? I’m always excited to try new things! Check out some more of my cinemagraph projects here.