Carwash

 

Carwash is a theatre – a range of visual experiences which continuously emerge, from meditative moments reminiscent of the mood of ambient music to exuberant displays of light and motion, like fireworks in full flow. Sometimes turbulent skies, landscapes, memories of folk tales told in childhood surface – and sometimes amorphous figures and groups emerge, like ghosts in the machine.

Project details

The photographs from this project consist of single images taken during the carwash cycle from inside the car. The images focus on the interplay of light and water with the windscreen, light, colour, and the surrounding environment shaping the images. Some are taken through the side windows, and some concentrate on the carwash cubicle and surrounding environment.

Although the images are predominantly abstract, many of the typical considerations of photography on location apply, position of the sun at different times of day, direct sunlight or overcast sky, the general brightness of the day. In the case of the carwash additional lighting is particularly relevant at darker times of day. These are not only considerations but also guide the final results in sometimes unexpected ways.

Basic editing tools only have been used to enhance the images, such as colour balance, sharpening, tone and contrast and selective lightening and darkening of areas of the images.

The images presented include a range of results which have been developed through experimentation, although there is a large random factor involved in the process. Some exciting results have resulted from this randomness and have usually led to further exploration.