Motion is created and modified by the actions of forces. Athletes are constantly in motion, but what makes each athlete different? Athletes In Motion is an observation of how athletes move in their respective sports. While both male and female athletes train to become faster and stronger, their muscles are toned and trained to move in different ways. By capturing images of both male and female athletes it allows the viewer to see the differences in movement. For example, a baseball player's arm can move 180 degrees for an overhand throw/ pitch, while a softball player’s arm can do a complete 360-degree motion of the shoulder for an underhand pitch. Everything seems to come naturally and in such quick motions that might be lost when just watching a game or performance.
There is fluidity in every movement that we make- simple or complex. The world is full of motion, but how do we track it? Most types of movements captured on camera tend to be blurry, that's where the idea of motion blur comes from. But what if I told you there was a way to track and capture complex movements using just three simple things: a camera, some photo strobes, and this sounds crazy, but flour. The flour acts as an enhancer to allow the viewer of the photographs to see just exactly how the body moves as a tracking device. It creates clouds of “smoke” and the colors help allow the viewer to see the pathway of the athletes’ movement.
By using the flour and photo strobe technique, I can pinpoint certain movements that are special to each athlete. If you blink, you will miss the exact moment of a perfect image and what an athlete has worked so hard to accomplish. While action photos are great during games, being able to capture all of the hard work and dedication of various athletes in this set of special portraits allows everyone to see just how hard they work on and off the field, court, track, or stage.
This set of work not only captures the movement of athletes, but compares how male and female athletes move in different ways. Being a softball player myself, being able to see how baseball and softball players move differently blew my mind. I have always known that our arms move in different ways, but to see the flour accentuate those differences was crazy. Even the differences between teammates: each individual’s body moves differently. In this exhibition, I hope you can appreciate the time and dedication that each athlete puts into their respective sport.
