TITLE: Embryonic Flight

These are images of Crows and Sandhill Cranes in flight. They are from a long running series.

The fluidity of their movements creates the feeling of an aerial dance. The hint of feathers the only proof of wings and what they might be. Just as an embryo gives a preview of what will be these allow us to imagine as well. I wanted to capture the movement that created an ethereal illusion of fantasy. These were shot using slow shutter speeds as I moved along with the birds.

AUTHOR: Stephen Lang (United States)

One of my favorite quotes is “Nothing is more important than the existence of what does not exist” by John Hawkes. This pretty much sums up my shooting philosophy. To create what isn’t openly seen or more importantly what isn’t there. To find something and be able to capture a variant that creates a new version of the original.

I am fascinated by what makes up a total image. The parts of something that can by themselves be a complete image. The abstractness of a section of flower or dune or whatever else I see and shoot. To either fill a frame with it or allow it to wander and surround itself with negative space. Both being unique unto itself. Both allowing the viewer to wander with what I have created.

Stephen grew up in Queens New York. Through travel in New Mexico he found his eye. In his teens music and designing graphics helped him find an avenue for expression. But once he found photography he found the something that he was missing. His eye and sense of composition are his strength. That is something he found a long time ago and continues to watch it progress.

Stephen’s work appeals to an audience as eclectic as his imagery. The work has been used by an equally eclectic group. His client base has ranged from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian (on staff) the NY Times, Nat Geo and various magazines and with sales ranging from California to Europe his work is being seen by a wide range of discerning eyes.

Stephen’s photography isn’t simply a face value representation of what is in front of him. It incorporates his vision, beliefs, respect, humor and spiritual guidelines. It can go from faithfulness and truth to an abstraction of what he sees.