Playing on the edge

March 9, 2020 Len Metcalf

I love playing on the edge. I have written a long article on this concept for Better Photography. I am going to put all my articles behind the paywall at Len’s Club so you will soon be able to read all of my articles. We are getting closer to launching, but are still sorting through the website part.

In this ‘Brush and Ink’ photograph I am intentionally referencing Japanese ink paintings done with ink. It’s part of a whole series. I have written previously how they started. So no need to repeat myself now.

Taking this one at Leura on a cliff edge gives the tree plenty of space without distraction. This physical edge of the landscape is a beautiful place to play, though it could be dangerous, unless your on a track like in this photograph. So the edge here is the horizontal and vertical. The flat and the vertical. The cliff edge. It helps create an edge between time and space. Space between figure and ground.

The other edge is the edge of over exposure. Yes technically it’s over exposed. That’s what I love about it. The white. The delicate thin washed out lines. The feeling of a watery ink wash.

Finally, it’s on the edge of failure and success. It’s only by going over the edge into failure that I can figure out where it’s working for me. We call this the tipping point.

Bringing all of these elements together, I feel like I have created something beautiful that is closer to art than the traditions of photography.

This one is a jpg straight from the camera with just a few tweaks in Lightroom. A rather different workflow from my normal one.

I do wonder what it will look like printed in sepia on kozo paper. Kozo is made from mulberry leaves and has a gorgeous cream colour to it. I would probably drop the blacks a bit more for that though.

Conversational video presentations on this sort of topic are in the pipeline for Len’s Club. When we first launch the membership site we will offer a founding membership. Founding members will get a chance to shape the future of what gets developed. You will be able to ask me what you’d like me to teach you. Founding members will be guaranteed a stable subscription rate for thier lifetime. Well, for as long as they stay subscribed continuously. Once we launch, founding membership will only be available for three weeks. It will be AUD$50 per quarter (every three months). After those three weeks are over we will then revert to the standard prices for the subscription. More about that later. Of course there’s a catch, and that is for those three weeks we will only just be starting with the regular releases, so there won’t be as much content as I’d love to have.

I don’t really want to flood people with content. Regular and inspiring content is easier to digest and work with. Anyway, I will tell you more soon.