From Dawn to Dusk and Back Again, Stephen Wilkes Pursues Natural Drama in Remarkably Detailed Panoramas — Colossal



Photography

#books
#landscapes
#panoramic
#Stephen Wilkes

July 18, 2023

Kate Mothes

A panoramic photo of a Venice canal that transitions from day to night.

All images © Stephen Wilkes, courtesy of Taschen, shared with permission

Whether atop a 40-foot lift truck in the center of Paris, in a small house on a far-flung island, or perched beside a Serengeti watering hole, photographer Stephen Wilkes certainly has patience on his side. Sitting in one spot for hours on end, he sets up his camera to capture a single scene over the course of a full day or more, tracking the dramatic movement of weather and the sun over expansive landscapes. Day to Nighta forthcoming book published by Taschen, highlights 60 of the artist’s most compelling images, from U.S. National Parks to iconic international landmarks to remote wildernesses brimming with wildlife.

Wilkes carefully selects his location and takes more than 1,500 exposures from a fixed angle to follow the gradual changes in light and the bustling activity of humans and animals. To get the scene of visitors at the Grand Canyon just right, for example, he slept in a watchtower during a 36-hour shoot. “There was, of course, no artificial light, so I had to wait for the moon to light the canyon. I had only one hour of exposure to get this right,” he says. When he returns to the studio, he painstakingly filters all of the images into a single composition, producing pieces akin to distilled timelapses.

Day to Night will be released next month and features panoramas taken between 2009 and 2022, many with hidden stories that Wilkes describes throughout. You can pre-order a copy on Bookshop, and see more of his work on his website.

 

A panoramic photo of the Grand Canyon that transitions from day to night.

A spread of a book containing a panoramic photo of Central Park that transitions from day to night.

A panoramic photo of the Brooklyn Bridge that transitions from day to night.  A fold-out spread of a book of a panoramic photo of a watering hole in Serengeti National Park that transitions from day to night.

A fold-out spread of a book of a panoramic photo of albatrosses on an island that transitions from day to night.

A panoramic photo of people in Trafalgar Square that transitions from day to night.

A fold-out spread of a book featuring a panorama of the Blue Lagoon in Iceland that transitions from day to night.

The cover of the book 'Day to Night.'

#books
#landscapes
#panoramic
#Stephen Wilkes

 

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