Gregory Crewdson’s photography evokes a feeling of awe that has stayed with me since the first time I saw his first photographs at the Twilight Exhibition 2006 (V&A).
I was astounded at the time as to how he had purposefully crafted his photography to have the such size and depth as to entice me to want to step into his landscapes. I wanted to peer out of the limits of the frame to understand the story his photograph was trying to tell. I’ve discovered since this is typical in his photography. The beginnings and endings always lie outside the narrative of the frame.
I was excited when during my recent break in Berlin an Exhibition dedicated to his full works - ‘A Lonely Place’ - was showing at C/O Berlin!
Each incident was mounted to my height, with their rather surreal paint-like quality, from his 3 collections Beneath the Roses, Fireflies & Sanctuary. Here they also displayed ‘the making of’ his photographs not unlike that of a film or music video.
Crewdson employs approximately 150 people over several days to create his hyperrealistic visions. His cinematic techniques are smoke, plentiful lighting and HDR (High Dynamic Range) along with computer manipulation which is what helps him achieve the surreal depth in his images.
However, at the same time he captures a reality accurate to how our eyes would take in such a scene with everything in equal focus. Seeing these photographs on the internet or in a book do not does not do them justice, I implore you visit one of his exhibitions to experience them.
