Energy in Motion
Beyond Form: Exploring Presence
Energy in Motion
Beyond Form: Exploring Presence (series)
Left: Presence: Within the Frame
Takayama, Japan | 2024
Right: Absence: Elsewhere
Takayama, Japan | 2024
Photography has always been more than just capturing moments—it’s a way to explore movement, energy, and presence in ways that push past the obvious. I’ve been playing with these ideas, experimenting with how distortion, negative space, light, and texture can reveal something deeper. These latest portraits of Karl and me, taken in Japan, are part of that journey. I wanted to see what happens when form dissolves, when the subject becomes more of a presence than a person. The result? A ghostly spiritual aesthetic that feels barely there yet more at the same time, like an ink blot inviting interpretation.
If you’ve ever felt drawn to capturing more than just what’s in front of the camera, I encourage you to experiment—let go of the need for a perfect image and instead chase a feeling.
For me, these images take on new life. A dance between material and immaterial, hinting that what we perceive is only a fraction of what truly exists. These pieces pull from 90s grunge and cyber aesthetics, blending nostalgic analog textures with something both primitive and futuristic. At the same time, they draw from Japan’s rich artistic traditions—particularly sumi-e ink painting, where fluid brushstrokes and negative space evoke depth and movement. Like ink blots, these images ride the brink of readability, pushing the viewer to find their own meaning within the abstraction.
That fusion of old and new, of traditional and digital, is everywhere in Japan, and it’s something I enjoyed reflecting in these images. The more I experiment, the more I realize that art, photography, and design don’t have to exist in separate boxes—they can flow together, each enhancing the other to create something more expressive, more intuitive. It’s about listening to your gut, trusting your instinct, and allowing creativity to move through you in a way that speaks from the soul.
Pushing beyond form isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about expressing what can often only be felt but not seen. So if you’re creating, don’t be afraid to blur the lines—distort, invert, blend, and let your work become a reflection of something deeper. What remains might surprise you.
Go play!
💖 Carol
My Process
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Used motion—camera, subject, or both—to create a blurred, ethereal effect while shooting (Nikon Z6).
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Converted to black and white in Adobe Camera Raw, adjusting contrast and various settings.
- Adobe Photoshop: Added color and texture through painting, layering, blending, blurring, and masking.
