H2O

With David Kirkby

By Irina Souiki

David Kirkby, also known as Darkmatter, has never failed to impress me since the first day I saw his work on Flickr. His shots are a mix of ingeniousness, excellent composition and impressive Photoshop technique which give them a wow! factor that makes me stare at them for long periods of time. I could not miss the opportunity to introduce you to the mastery of his photography and to the way he captures one of the most vital elements on earth : Water.

That he is a science teacher is evident in his photographs: they are attentive to detail, analyzing force, mass, friction, action and reaction. And like children watching a physics class, we watch in amazement, our eyes filled with wonder.

Ssssh, let's listen, the class has begun.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you came in contact with Flickr.

I am a scientist and teacher by day, looking for things like dark matter with particle accelerators and telescopes. I read about flickr last spring and uploaded my first photo on May 31. I didn't get involved much until I got a digital SLR a few months later, and then get hooked on the community aspect and the opportunities to learn from other people's work.

Do you have a photographic style or a favorite subject?

I hope not! For now, I'm more interested in exploring different styles and subjects. I guess I have some recurring themes though, like physics, water, and hands. I have a long list of new things I want to try. Time and money are the only obstacles.

What motivated you to take this picture?

I was trying to distract my kids while waiting for an audition, and wasn't hopeful for an interesting shot. On purely aesthetic grounds, I prefer a different view. I decided to keep this one also because I liked the ambiguities it creates: which way is up? is the water calm or rushing by?

Can you explain to us the relevant technical details that "made" this photograph?

I got close to the water, which was pouring down in a thin sheet. I didn't use any camera tilt. I needed a fast shutter speed to capture motion, but that was no problem because there was plenty of light and I wanted a large apperture to blur a distracting reflection beyond the hand. Lightly touching the water was enough to create the unusual surface you see. I made some adjustments in post processing to reduce the highlights and bring out the blue in the water. That's it.

If you were to shoot this picture again, what would you change about it?

I suppose a polarizing filter would be a good idea, although I never seem to have mine with me when it might be useful. With more time to figure out how to keep my camera dry, I would have liked to shoot this from behind the thin sheet of water.

What is the physics law that made possible this picture? Ok, just kidding. Would you know how to answer this question without looking in the Wikipedia if your kids asked you?

Ok, here goes. Water is sticky stuff and likes to be in contact with surfaces. It sometimes does surprising contortions to find its most comfortable position. Like a cat, sort of. By the way, the pictures of surface tension on wikipedia aren't bad.

If I were to attempt taking this picture, I would more than likely wet my sleeve. Did anything like this happen while shooting the picture?

I got lots of droplets on my lens, and my kids went up to their elbows. Good times.

Fire, earth, air or water? And why?

Water, especially rain. After growing up in England, I can never get enough of it in Southern California. I couldn't survive without a bathtub.

What is your definition of a "cool shot"?

A photo that goes beyond its immediate visual impact and makes you want to linger. Perhaps you wonder what's just beyond the frame or are intrigued by the relationship between the subject and photographer. Its a personal reaction, but some shots evoke it more consistently. I need to work on that.

Thanks David for this fun and informative interview. We can't wait to see your next cool shot in our favorites list.

Below you can look at other pictures of David's favorite element, because choosing just one photograph for this column was much harder than I thought.