LIFE ON THE POND

DAVID GRAY

// David is an award-winning commercial and fine art photographer based in Los Angeles and Vancouver. In his black and white series about a pond he loves, he highlights shapes and patterns through the use of light and contrast, yielding a series of visually very pleasing almost abstract images of natural elements.

A graduate with a BA in Art History and Filmmaking, David went on to attend the ArtCenter College of Design in Los Angeles and afterwards launched his first studio in L.A., shooting celebrities, fashion and musical groups. He has been working as an on-set photographer for numerous top-tier television series, as well as for magazines and other commercial clients, for more than twenty years. Fine art work has always been his big love, however, and he has continued to exhibit in solo and juried group exhibitions internationally. “My current goals are to have my fine art work viewed by as many eyeballs as possible,” he says.

“An old silent pond…
A frog jumps into the pond,
splash! Silence again.”

Matsuo Bashō
(1644-1694)

What draws you to the arts?

“Hmmm. In photography, I’m drawn to images which make me see a familiar subject in a new light.”

What do you like best about creating this series of black and white pond images?

“I like it when the subject becomes abstract and it’s all about geometric shapes and lines.”

This series is called “Life On The Pond”. David shot all of these images on the small lake that his family´s weekend cabin sits on, North Lake. All were shot on digital, with a minimum of processing or editing. He tried to maintain an analog aesthetic and made each image perfect in the camera. “It’s all about the light!,” he says. Many of these photos were shot in the small window of time near dusk, when the lake water is calm and becomes like a mirror.

David´s compositions and impeccable use of tones give his black and white pond images a graphic and at the same time ethereal look. While we can still make out individual lily pads or blades of grass, the focus is clearly on patterns, shapes, and tonal contrasts. “I have nothing profound to say,” he says. “I hope the work speaks for itself.” We think it does, and rather pleasingly so.

Click on the photos to see the full image with title, some images are cropped for layout.