Threshold of Earth.

Threshold of Earth. A part of the study of the connection between the Torii and the natural elements which surround it. The Torii is an iconic japanese structure belonging to Shinto shrines, in other words it’s a gate that represents the passage from the secular world to a sacred one. In this photograph I’ve aligned the rising sun and the Torii with the intent of representing this one as a threshold of a passage that connects our world with the sun, one of the most sacred natural elements, that gives life to our planet and venerated by human being since the dawn of history.
This photograph required some of planning. I wanted to align the rising sun with the Torii, positioning the latter at the same time at an angle of 45 degrees. As a result, the two opposite pillars of the gate would have pointed directly the sun. In order to obtain this “construction”, I made use of a useful smartphone’s app which keeps track of the ephemeris and the relative position of the stars in relation to the photographer’s point of shooting. The app has simplified this planning significantly, reducing at the same time the chance of failure. After that, the shoot and the subsequent post processing have been fairly straighforward: essentially, it’s a simple silhouette which required some adjustments in contrast and color, plus a crop to my taste to modify the aspect ratio of the image, making it appear wider.

 

This photograph has been awarded with a nomination in the 2017 edition of the Fine Art Photography Awards: Crossing the threshold of Earth” – Category Open Theme