My work often revolves around the human-environmental relationship and the role that photography plays in helping us feel connected to the natural world. In the installation Eyes to the Sky, I evade the rule “Don’t look directly at the sun” by replicating my own solar eclipse experience. Using a cell phone, pinhole camera, 4x5 large format, or whatever camera device is available – I photograph the sun while holding found objects in front of the lens. To avoid damaging my eyes, I do this without looking through the viewfinder. The spur-of-the-moment approach yields clumsy results, from fingers in the frame to blurry, incorrect exposures and awkward compositions. Reminiscent of early photography, the project is inspired by the first photograph taken of a solar eclipse in 1851. However, unlike this historical example, my project is not aimed at perfect representation. Instead, I am interested in how the work comments on photography’s limitations to perform as a surrogate for our eyesight while producing imagery that feels unexpected, mysterious, and magical.

*the installation is part of larger ongoing body of work title “Good Luck with the Sun”
Images from 4x4” to 12x12” panels, installation dimensions variable.