Description
Where does the line between birding and fine art exist?
In Nesting, I am reinventing traditional birding photographs so they may occupy the fine art space. The project consists of images of birds, but in their place is an empty space of color.
Nesting is a combination of several post processing techniques, utilizing fine linework, to capture the precise contours of the subject. The photos emulate conventional birding tactics — the bird occupies most of the frame, often captured mid-activity, and the lighting is dependent on location. The scale of the prints, combined with the erasure of the birds, emphasizes their absence.
Though Nesting is a project composed of birding images, it is not a project about birds. Rather, I want viewers to investigate the separation of nature and fine art, and determine if the subject’s absence elevates these images compared to their previous compositions.
I simply want to ask, “Are these fine art photos because they lack the bird?”
It’s pure rhetoric. There is no correct answer. Once their absence is acknowledged, and their “value” is questioned for it, then I believe I have succeeded.