How I Found my Impression

Impression no.5, Aker Brygge, Oslo

The beginnings

While creating an impression, what is important to me is that little glimpse of the scene which only I can see. Ever since I first grabbed a camera, I wanted to capture those tiny moments of life. I tried many times with mixed results. My first more thoughtful attempt was Reconstructing my Mind project where I photographed transitory reflections of light in water.

After finishing that project, I looked for new ways of capturing an impression with a camera. One day, during a walk in a forest, I noticed that tall trees have a very distinct feeling if looked cursorily or rapidly over them.

This gave an idea to try doing the same I did with my eyes, using a camera.

Impression no. 5

I created the photograph at the top long after the no. 4 in the Aker Brygge district of Oslo. I decided to name my impressions with numbers as it has quite a long history among painters. Plus I find it very adequate for their form.

As I mentioned, my initial inspiration were trees. Their shape—at least some of them—made them especially interesting from human eyes perspective. We see quite wide with them but at any moment only look at certain points. When we look quickly along a long shape, it blurs and loses it’s details.

When I came to Oslo, I was struck with amazing architecture. There was Aker Brygge, National Opera, old tenement houses and many more. First I wanted to photograph them in their full beauty. But when I got to know them, I begun seeing them differently. The association with the long shapes of trees came quite recently.

Since I begun capturing impressions, I more and more often happen to look at the surroundings in a different way. Architecture can become less distinct and more abstract if looked rapidly. This way, even in the most familiar area, I can find something new and curious. And that’s how I find my impressions.