Filling in the Blanks

In this high tech world, you're never without a camera, and can take a picture anywhere you go, recording every detail of a mountain or a river, or a tree. But do these images convey the experiences of awe, excitement, wonder and fear we had while we were in those places? Adam Katseff discovered a way to convey those feelings by taking landscape photographs in the dark of night, revealing more by showing less. He found that when our eyes are not able to discern every detail of an image, we become more engaged, and our minds fill in the blanks, inventing details and stories within the pictures. In this way, a photograph becomes not of the river itself, but of the idea of the river, rich with memory and imagination.

You can watch a slideshow of Adam Katseff’s night landscapes while you listen to this episode. Just go to nocturnepodcast.org/landscapes. Start it after the break at 4 minutes into the episode.

Photo credits: Adam Katseff. Courtesy of Robert Koch Gallery and Sasha Wolf Projects.

Music: Nocturne theme music by Kent SparlingAdditional music: Kent Sparling \ Jeffrey Foster

Producer: Vanessa Lowe

You can find more information about Adam Katseff’s work here.Episode artwork: Robin Galante