Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wednesday Wonder: The Art of Shooting Ice

I approach the images of icebergs as portraits of individuals,
much like family photos of my ancestors. I seek a moment
in their life in which they convey their unique personality,
some connection to our own experience and a glimpse 
of their soul, which endures.
~ Camille Seaman

A 2011 TED Fellow and award-winning fine art/documentary photographer, Camille Seaman shoots the most breath-taking photographs I've ever seen of icebergs in the Arctic and Antarctica. Seaman, who has studied with such masters as Sebastiao Salgado and has published in National Geographic, The New York Times Sunday magazine, American Photo, Camera Arts, and many other periodicals, was honored with a solo exhibition in 2008, "The Last Iceberg", at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. She lives in Berkeley, California, and travels the world. Since 2003, she's focused her lens on the Polar Regions. Currently, she is showing through April 2 at Corden|Potts Gallery in San Francisco.

Take a look at the video and slideshow below and I think you'll understand immediately why I'm featuring Seaman as today's "Wednesday Wonder".

My main goal is to allow a viewer to feel or see something
[he or she] may not ever had considered in regards to our
amazing life and our amazing home on this planet. 
You will not save something you feel no connection to.
~ Camille Seaman, Dodge & Burn Interview*

The following brief promotional video gives some sense of the fascinating photography of Camille Seaman:


Dark Ice from Camille Seaman on Vimeo.

This slideshow offers Seaman's gorgeous photographs of Arctic regions and Antarctica.


The Last Iceberg from Camille Seaman on Vimeo.

Be sure to visit Seaman's site to view portfolios of her other work, including "This Other World", "The Big Cloud" for which she "chased storms" in the Dakotas,  and "A Penguin's Life".

Signed copies of Seaman's book The Last Iceberg (photolucida, 2008) are available to order here.

Prints of Seaman's work are available for purchase through gallery representatives: Susan Spiritus Gallery in Newport Beach, Richard Heller Gallery in Santa Monica, CordenPotts Gallery in San Francisco; Soulcatcher Studio in Santa Fe, New Mexico (see the exhibition gallery images here; prints begin at approximately $800); Charles Guice Contemporary in Katonah, New York; and Hoopers Gallery in London, United Kingdom.

* This interview also is found here: "Photographer Interview: Camille Seaman", Resource Magazine Blog, February 22, 2011.

Camille Seaman on Natural Lighting Techniques, YouTube Video

Camille Seaman on FaceBook

5 comments:

S. Etole said...

majestic wonders in color and shape ....

thelmaz said...

Thank you for the awe-inspiring post. I've just returned from a trip to the southern tip of South America so I was especially thrilled with the pictures.

Louise Gallagher said...

Oh wow! I couldn't get the minute long video to work properly -- but the longer one... wow! beautiful music to go with the images too.

Joyce Wycoff said...

These are so beautiful ... thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Loved your call out of Camille Seaman's work. Thank you. Exquisite. Reminds me of the lines from the Rukeyser poem:

O for God’s sake
they are connected
underneath

They look at each other
across the glittering sea
some keep a low profile

Some are cliffs
The Bathers think
islands are separate like them