Rain Work Images by Bill Sosin
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“The camera sees more than the eye, so why not make use of it?” 3
—Edward Weston
Rain Work billsosin.com © 2018 Bill Sosin 4
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Rain Light
What began as a spontaneous shot taken whimsically through the car windscreen on a rainy day in Chicago expanded into an ongoing investigation into ephemeral aspects of the city.
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Suddenly impressionistic umbrella studies; images of shadowy smokers exiled from non-smoking office buildings; figures emerging from arcades of neon; vehicles engulfed in avalanches of snow, and wandering, isolated silhouettes reveal something about the irrevocable influence of the elements and the paradoxical loneliness of the metropolis.
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Two Walkers
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Quarter Light
To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. 9
—Henri Cartier-Bresson
PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERS CUP HONORS PHOTOGRAPHER BILL SOSIN FROM USA LOS ANGELES May 5, 2014 - Bill Sosin was presented with the 7th Annual Photography Masters Cup 1st Place in the category of Silhouette at a prestigious Nomination & Winners Photoshow webcast Saturday, May 3, 2014. The live online gala was attended by photography fans around the globe who logged on to see the climax of the industry’s most important event for color photography.
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7th Annual Jury members included captains of the industry from Contrasto, Rome; Kahmann Gallery, Amsterdam; Galerie Simon Blais, Montreal; Barbara Frigerio Contemporary Art, Milan; Clair Galerie, Munich; and Ingrid Deuss Gallery, Belgium who honored Color Masters with 274 coveted title awards in 18 categories. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 7,416 entries we received this year,” said Basil O’Brien, the awards Creative Director. “Bill’s “Heavy Weather,” an exceptional image entered in the Silhouette category, represents contemporary color photography at its finest, and we’re pleased to present him with the title of 1st Place.” INTERNATIONAL COLOR AWARDS, PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERS CUP is the leading international award honoring excellence in color photography. This celebrated event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers worldwide and honors the finest images with the highest achievements in color photography. www. photomasterscup.com
Heavy Weather
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Prada
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West Bound Diversey
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Two Plus One
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Rivulets
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Of course, there will always be those who look only at technique, who ask ‘how’, while others of a more curious nature will ask ‘why’. 17 Personally, I have always preferred inspiration to information. —Man Ray
Hulk
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Stand Out Purple Umbrella
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Findings Parable
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Bliss Point
Rumination
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while back I ran across some negatives I shot from my car in the old film days. I was intrigued by them and began photographing from inside my car again. Driving around Chicago in a downpour I had glazed over momentarily at a stop light as the droplets of rain gathered on the windshield and the chromium vapor of the street lamps blurred behind them. I let the cinema window of the car become obscured with the pebbles of water and then photographed them…
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What started haphazardly became an obsession and I have now captured hundreds of these images. Generally the texture of the precipitation is kept in focus, and the shape, weight and direction of the droplets can change according to windflow and the severity of the rainfall. Activity in the city streets is set in shallow focus behind this. Neon fluorescence and radiant red light from car brake lights are common themes, but more abstract and suggestive patterns are created by silhouetted pedestrians hastening along with pendulous umbrellas; vehicles such as towtrucks or sixteen wheelers, made more ominous in the dreamscape of their out of focus state; or lonely objects in storefront windows, rendered redundant by the inclement weather. The pure refractions of light are controlled by the lens choice, focus and exposure, blurred into kaleidoscopes or minimized to retain narrative detail. I search for different colorations, shooting at various times of day when the hue of the sky can contribute to the tableau. © 2018 Bill Sosin
Rain Space
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Outlook
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Pas De Deux
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Couplet
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Free Jazz
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Three Cars
Akimbo
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Free Rain
Nova
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Realm
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Gesture
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Sky Survey
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Flow
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Mythos
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Train of Thought
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Auto Palette
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Otherworld
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Hot Stop
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Watermark
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Equilibrium
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Push and Pull
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East Bound
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East View
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Night Vision
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Tailwind
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Waiting In Blue
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White Car
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Respite
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Little Dream
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Red Ball
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Spoon Nebula
© 2006 / 2021 Bill Sosin www.billsosin.com Rain Work Volume 2, Number 3 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the expressed written permission of the publisher. Designed and produced by Bill Sosin. Chicago
3 Light Rain 5 Two Walkers 6 Quarter Light 8 Inflection 11 Heavy Weather 12 Prada 13 West Bound Diversey 14 Two Plus One 15 Rivulets 16 -17 Hulk 18 Stand Out 19 Purple Umbrella 20 Findings 21 Parable 22-23 Cascade 24 Bliss Point 25 Rumination 26-27 Rain Space 28 Outlook 29 Pas De Deux 30 Couplet 31 Free Jazz 32 Three Cars 33 Akimbo 34 Free Rain 35 Nova 36 Realm 37 Gesture 38 Sky Survey 39 Flow 40 Mythos 41 Train of Thought 42 Auto Palette 43 Watermark 44 Hot Stop 45 Otherworld 46 Equilibrium 47 Push and Pull 48 East Bound 49 East View 50 Night Vision 51 Tailwind 52 Waiting In Blue 53 White Car 54 Respite 55 Little Dream 56 Red Ball 57 Spoon Nebula
58 Book List
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Rain Work
Images by Bill Sosin
© 2018 www.billsosin.com
Paper Mirror Press