June 28, 2014

Harbinger: The Story Behind the Series

Simplify for a better focal point - Harbinger No 1

Harbinger No. 1

Several summers ago my son Jem and I were taking a road trip through the western states, it was meant to be both a photography trip as well as a father and son trip. We were in Utah and it was about 150 degrees (or so it felt) when I spied these great mud hills off to the north.

Sensing a good image, we hiked to a vantage point where I could photograph this set of wonderfully symmetric hills. I loved the dark mud and the deep blue sky, but the image was lacking something. I wanted to stay longer to see if I could solve this photographic riddle, but my son had other ideas.

Photographing with a child is a real challenge for me. I go into “working mode” which means that I withdraw into my own world and want to be left alone. My son on the other hand goes into “bored child mode” which means he repeats the following, interspersed with loud sighs:

It’s hot.

How much longer?

Can we go now?

You said 5 minutes…5 minutes ago!

Can I go back to the car and watch a movie?

Are you done?

Given the mediocrity of the image, the oppressive heat and my son chipping away at my stamina…I gave up, packed up and headed back to the truck.  

But once back I spied this single cloud moving very fast across the horizon. I could see by its trajectory that in about a minute it would pass right over those mud hills that I had just been photographing.

This was a beautiful little cloud that was heading towards a wonderful setting…when suddenly I realized that this could be my “Moonrise, Hernandez” moment!

I told my son that I was going back for one more shot (he let out a loud and exaggerated groan) and I ran just as fast as I could. I quickly set up my gear and was able to get a single shot with the cloud perfectly situated above those mud hills.  And that is the image above.

As I looked at the image on the camera’s screen, the name Harbinger immediately popped into my head and that is what I named the image. 

When I would show this new image to people, they would ask “are you going to do a series of them?” I honestly didn’t think I’d ever find another solitary cloud like this one and would say that while I would love to, I doubted that it would be possible.

But over the next couple of years something interesting happened.  Being sensitized to this concept, I started to find other Harbinger opportunities until I had a small collection of them:

I love this series for its mysterious simplicity, and I love the artist statement for its brevity and ambiguity:

Harbinger:  \?här-b?n-j?r\   noun

      1. one that goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; herald.
      2. anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign.

 

Unlike my Auschwitz-Birkenau series that took just under two hours to create, I expect Harbinger to take many years to complete.

But that’s okay, I’m in no hurry.

Cole

 

 

8 thoughts on “Harbinger: The Story Behind the Series

  1. Cole,
    I like your story about taking your son along on a photography trip. I had the similar experience with my son. I took him with me on two trips to Western trips to photograph. He was around 12 and 14 years old at the time and he was bored and had little interest in the beautiful landscape we were in. I fixed him up with a camera and tripod but all he cared about was what his friends back home were doing. He managed to lock the keys in the car twice while we were in remote locations and nearly run the battery flat while sitting in the car listening to the radio while I was photographing. I look back at the pictures we took and can clearly remember the experience but I am thankful I took the time and had the patiences to bring him along. You will always have the memory of the experience when you view your photograph. You have made a nice series of clouds floating clouds resting above a majestic landscape

  2. Well done Cole.
    Billowy storm clouds have their dominant place in the artistic journeys of so many. To stop and see the value of a simple…little cloud…brilliant

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *