“ONE SHOT ISTANBUL”
"ONE SHOT ISTANBUL"
by Alexander Berg
www.alexberg.com
Conde Nast Lobby Gallery
4 Times Square
New York, NY
curated by Janusz Jaworski
Artist statement:
ONE SHOT is a project in which I have portrayed over 1,700 people in New York, Beijing, and Istanbul. Each image was created with a single sheet of film, one moment, one shot.
In a portrait session several years ago, breaking to look over several images, the subject and I were struck by the first shot of the day: it was simply "it". We couldn't surpass its heightened state. I began to see this phenomenon again and again - the first few frames of a particular shoot held more life and intuition than later ones. Those first shots asked to be looked at again, endured, and communicated with the viewer. So I created a project where, instead of diluting the process by shooting hundreds of frames and editing afterwards, I would edit prior to exposing film. I would put all the energy into a single frame.
Working with a large-format camera was a conscious decision; it's a deliberate and precise tool. The process is slowed, enabling both the subject and me to become present. I asked the subjects a few questions about where they found themselves in life, and to add a title to their image. Some held their guard, others laughed, some cried, some shared intimate stories. "Photo-therapy" sprang to mind as the project unfolded. I found we all have a need to be seen, identified, exist, wherever we live. In front of the camera, on the verge of a reflection of ourselves, we are all equal.
by Alexander Berg
www.alexberg.com
Conde Nast Lobby Gallery
4 Times Square
New York, NY
curated by Janusz Jaworski
Artist statement:
ONE SHOT is a project in which I have portrayed over 1,700 people in New York, Beijing, and Istanbul. Each image was created with a single sheet of film, one moment, one shot.
In a portrait session several years ago, breaking to look over several images, the subject and I were struck by the first shot of the day: it was simply "it". We couldn't surpass its heightened state. I began to see this phenomenon again and again - the first few frames of a particular shoot held more life and intuition than later ones. Those first shots asked to be looked at again, endured, and communicated with the viewer. So I created a project where, instead of diluting the process by shooting hundreds of frames and editing afterwards, I would edit prior to exposing film. I would put all the energy into a single frame.
Working with a large-format camera was a conscious decision; it's a deliberate and precise tool. The process is slowed, enabling both the subject and me to become present. I asked the subjects a few questions about where they found themselves in life, and to add a title to their image. Some held their guard, others laughed, some cried, some shared intimate stories. "Photo-therapy" sprang to mind as the project unfolded. I found we all have a need to be seen, identified, exist, wherever we live. In front of the camera, on the verge of a reflection of ourselves, we are all equal.
