flotation liquid
Whether it’s water, melted cheese or latex paint, Canadian photographer, Peter Schafrick, can make virtually (almost) anything fly. Captured on camera in a moment of weightlessness, as it flows and sprays through the air. His particular style is the result of a perfect interplay between movement, timing and equipment. A study in flight. Photos: peter schafrick
ONLINE 6/2009
19
It took Schafrick four dozen eggs and one gallon of milk to be satisfied with his milk and egg series (above). The moment the rose was dipped in paint, it quickly fell apart – twenty roses had to be dunked to achieve perfect elegance (right)
20
ONLINE 6/2009
ONLINE 6/2009
21
22
ONLINE 6/2009
Industrial oil, gears and compression bearings are surely not made to look beautiful; but for Exxon Mobile’s new oil campaign, Peter Schafrick managed to turn these materials into protagonists of an extremely aesthetic still-life
ONLINE 6/2009
23
While shooting a campaign for a new Exxon Mobile oil, Schafrick was impelled to use the breaks for further experimentation. This shot was the result of such a moment. It created an incredible mess, but in the end produced a very successful photograph
24
ONLINE 6/2009
ONLINE 6/2009
25
26
ONLINE 6/2009
FlotaTion Liquid Peter schafrick The Canadian photographer Peter Schafrick was born in 1963 in Welland, Ontario. He studied electronics from 1981 to 1985, working in the field of telecommunications for almost 15 years until 1999 when a friend brought him into contact with photography. As a result of this unforeseen encounter, he resigned from his job in 2000, invested his savings in photographic equipment, set up a small studio and taught himself the craft. For two years he worked hard on putting together a portfolio and had his first works published in local newspapers in 2002. Since then he has worked for a list of clients that include: Beringer Vineyards, Coca Cola, Dove, Guinness, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, Saab, Visa and Volvo. In 2005, Schafrick was the recipient of the Black and White Spider Award.
www.peterschafrick.com www.creativehunt.ca www.raybrownpro.com
A black scarf with fine, silver-white squares, sails through the studio, drifts slowly down and comes to land somewhere on the floor. Photographer, Peter Schafrick, tosses it again but, as before, the scarf does whatever it wants to do, making it very hard to focus on the moment it is in the air. “Then it dawned on me, that the solution was to soak the scarf in water. It would mean more flow to the movement, the scarf would react more gracefully, and it would be much easier to maintain a focus on the material,” Schafrick explains, remembering the moment in 2005 when, by chance, liquids became an integral part of his photography. Since then, this particular element has held a particular fascination for the Canadian. Whether water, milk, cream, melted cheese, tomato sauce, heavy paint or thick oil, each fluid has its own unique characteristics and is, more or less, semi-liquid. Even if, at first glance, some of them may not be considered particularly beautiful, Peter Schafrick manages to give them their own elegance and aesthetics. The differing viscosities represent a challenge for him each time he throws them into the air and tries to catch the perfect moment in their movement. “It’s great fun to toss things into the air and then watch the pictures pop up on the monitor. The movement and the tension are so compelling,” the stills specialist says with delight. It is not only the movement with which he throws each solution into the air that has a big influence on the pictures, but also the container that he uses. Most of the time it is a drinking glass or a small bowl, though Schafrick’s favorite are the transparent, square plastic boxes in which Ferrero’s various types of chocolates are sold. Flying liquids have become his greatest passion, and he turns to them for many of his free-style and commercial works; yet he never gets the particular subject he’s looking for on the very first attempt. “Whenever I toss the liquid, I’m always trying to change some element, so as to achieve something better and more unique. Even though I might only need ten tries to get what I want, I still continue experimenting just to see what I might come up with.” This can mean that he tosses up to fifty times before capturing a subject that makes him really happy. With so many attempts and incalculable results, things go wrong every now and then – frequently to
the amusement of Schafrick’s assistant, Stephen Macleod. After all, it is not every day that one sees one’s boss being hit below the belt by a wave of melted cheese, or that a particularly spirited glob of latex paint takes revenge by landing on the photographer’s head. The equipment is also in danger with this kind of photography: camera, tri-pod, lights, have all been hit. Reason enough for Schafrick to protect the lens with a replaceable, clear filter. With regard to himself, however, it’s a different matter. Despite having been splattered by paint or melted cheese, Schafrick feels no need to take any precautions, unconcerned by these
kinds of mishaps: “I prefer to toss the liquids myself, to maintain a certain control on the look and the haptics. I find I have a real talent for it.” Apart from the right degree of swing, perfect timing is equally essential. That is why Schafrick photographs with an H2 with the CF-39MS digital multi-shot back piece and a 50–110mm zoom lens. In addition, he uses Bron lights that can be set to flash for an extremely short period of time. With this equipment, he manages to freeze the movement of the liquids in the perfect visual moment. After a few trial throws, once he and his assistant feel they have a balance between movement, flash and reso-
The splash spraying out of a handbag was the result of Schafrick experimenting with accessories and liquids. In this case he used whipping cream, which he colored black during post-production (left). His growing passion for fluids began with a scarf (above)
lution, they can then proceed to try and make the fluid do something exciting and beautiful. For this purpose, they choose the angle and the direction, swirling the liquid around in its container before tossing it. It is always a fine line between an elegant spray or an uninteresting slosh. This permanent process of trial and error is very dependent on digital technology. With it, Schafrick can immediately see the results of tossing a glass of water or a can of paint. He can decide if he likes what he sees or whether he should use a larger container, reduce the degree of swing or the amount of liquid. This means
he can give free rein to his joy of experimentation. Digital post-processing also plays an important role. If, for example, one picture has a particularly beautiful series of droplets, while in another a lovely curve has been formed, both pictures can be joined together on the computer and blended into one. “None of my work is illustrated,” Schafrick explains. “The photographs are always real, but different parts are often mounted together to create the final image.” Schafrick’s pictures, though frequently made up of various combined parts, have a feeling of fluidity; his résumé, on the other hand, shows a definite interruption. After studying electronics, he worked for 15 years in sales and business development for companies like Panasonic, Bell and NEC. The change of direction began in 1999, when a friend brought him into contact with photography. He was so impressed by the medium that he gave up his job the following year. At age 37, he put all his savings into professional equipment and taught himself the craft. The first years were difficult and at times he did have regrets about having taken that decisive step. Today Schafrick is happy he stuck with it. “It’s a great feeling to create something out of nothing. With that, I mean the process of working with an idea and observing how it transforms into a striking, visually attractive image,” he explains, summarizing why he likes his new profession. And he is delighted to have discovered the versatility of liquids: “They bring another element to what would normally be just a typical product shot.” For the future, Peter Schafrick is planning to integrate people into his liquid shots. It will start with a beautiful woman’s boot making droplets from puddle of water dance; but the photographer has no idea where it might end. He does know, that he wants to work with much larger quantities of liquids in the future, tossing them out of larger containers, to achieve even longer and thicker flows. “I’m also planning on creating more pictures where there is an interplay between objects and all different kinds of fluids,” he explains. “I enjoy the movement and tension that arises when liquids collide.” susanne schmitt
ONLINE 6/2009
27