Photo Friday with Chris McCaw’s Sunburn
The beauty of Chris McCaw’s photo series, Sunburn, was born out of a mistake. During a camping trip, the artist tried to capture an all night exposure of the starry sky. As a result of drinking too much whiskey, McCaw failed to wake up before sunrise to close the shutter, and the image was burned, reversing the tones of the landscape. It was a failure in that he did not capture the image he hoped for, but it turned into a much more significant perspective: one that changed his outlook on photography.
He explains this on his website: “The intense light of the rising sun was so focused and powerful that it physically changed the film, creating a new way for me to think about photography.”
Since his first, accidental, burnt photograph in 2003, McCaw has spent years trying different methods and timings to make this series. His favourite results can be found in a photobook titled Sunburn released last year
For more of McCaw’s work, please visit his website.
