There/Not There

The photo series, There/Not There results from a convergence of my love affair with both flowers and Black & White photography. At its simplest, photographing flowers gives me great joy in capturing moments of fleeting beauty. I find that shooting in Black & White reduces elements vying for the viewer’s attention. Inspired by the works of both Imogen Cunningham and Robert Mapplethorpe, I experiment with elements of composition and light to make new floral images that go beyond a basic portrait of a flower in its innate glory. The combination of a velvety black background and dramatic lighting isolates the flower’s individual form while simultaneously creating interesting new shapes in the negative space around the flower. In other images of the series, I draw a very tight focus on the flower itself, filling the frame. On one level this accentuates the natural grace inherent to the form of the flower. On another level, it begins to deconstruct the overall form and allow the viewer to see something new and different. What is seen at this point is distinctive and personal to the individual viewer, their own private world to explore for a moment in time.

I am reminded of a quote from the great jazz musician, Miles Davis--

Don’t’ play what’s there; play what’s not there.” 

May you see in these images the magic and mystery of what is there, as well as what’s not there.

—Aileen Bauerlin