The Motion Series

After several summers of photographing the figure and face in the detail and stillness allowed by the camera, the logical evolution of my process lead me to examine the power and mystique of motion as a metaphor for transition. As the epilogue to the Primitive Behavior series I continue my photographic ritual in the moors of Provincetown. The impulse to bring joy back to these dunes became paramount. Spontaneity, surrender (letting go) and chance replaced predisposition and deliberation. The models came alive, interacting with my process and no loner remained dormant in repose. Movements inspired by delightful childhood memories of endless summers at the beach became the springboard to create these images. As the figure moved through the water an obvious and constant struggle for space ensued; the figure interrupted the flow of the current and each motion of the models was met with a displacement of water. These gestures, the rhythm of the tides, and the natural light are collaged in a single frame. Initially, I was intent on capturing transformation through the physicality of the models, but as the series progressed my attention shifted to the fluidity of the water. The importance of the body in the process remained, however in the final photograph, the presence of humanity can only be assumed as the force creating the chaos in the water. Visually and emotionally, water pushed through the floodgates creating new challenges.

Frank Yamrus
Fall 1998