Photo Art Project “First Ray”

Abstract

The “First Ray” project was launched in 2009. According to the idea and concept developed, the shooting takes place in the high mountain systems of the Himalayas, Karakoram, and the Cordillera at dawn. The shooting aims to capture the first rays of the sun illuminating the snow-capped mountain peaks. A prerequisite for shooting is no later than two minutes after the first touch of the sun's ray to the peak. Since the sun is still deep below the horizon at this time, the lighting at the shooting point corre­sponds to twilight conditions, although the subject is in daylight conditions. This pro­vides additional opportunities for creative reinterpretation of the scene and presenta­tion of the result as an art object. The prerequisites for achieving the result are that the photographer should be located mostly at an altitude of 4000 metres. The height of the peaks to be photographed is from 6500 metres above sea level. The exposition is arranged according to the light, which allows for detail and draws the viewer’s at­tention to the idea of the project. Additionally, to enhance the impression, the sky was “dulled” in post-processing until details and colour disappeared completely.