Sublimity of Nature

“Whereas the beautiful is limited,
the sublime is limitless,
so that the mind in the presence of the sublime,
attempting to imagine what it cannot,
has pain in the failure but pleasure
in contemplating the immensity of the attempt."
~ Immanuel Kant, Critique of Pure Reason

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This is an abstract image of a sunset along the Mississippi River, from the riverfront in Fort Madison, Iowa, in late October.  I use an in-camera, single-frame technique called intentional camera movement (ICM) to create the effect seen in the image.

I've been experimenting lately with some various combinations of movements in an effort to create some different results with my images.  For this particular capture, I did a horizontal pan in combination with a slight bit of a twist to create a sweeping motion.  

When I was processing this image, I was reminded, for some reason, of a certain Romantic period painting.  In my mind's eye, I correlated my image with this particular painting, which is called Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog (Click link to see the painting), by Caspar David Friedrich.  Perhaps it's just me, but there is something about the unbridled flow of the scene in my image that seems reminiscent of the tumultuous sublimity of nature in Friedrich's painting.  The coloring is obviously not the same, but the movement in the image evokes the same kind of feeling as the painting does for me.

This abstract ICM image is just one in a project series I've been working on of sunsets along the Mississippi River.  I'll be sharing more of the project here on my blog, so stay tuned for more.  

I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, and feedback, so please feel free to leave a comment below, and feel free to share the page link, as well. 

To learn more about the intentional camera movement technique and more of my thoughts about the creative process, I offer a 45-minute video tutorial on my YouTube channel here - Landscapes Reimagined ICM Tutorial.

I also offer a free pdf download of the tutorial by signing up for the mailing list on my website here - StephJohnPhoto.
 

To purchase a print of this image, click here - Sublimity of Nature - for print sizing/pricing information, as well as how to order.