Salty Silence

“Silence is not the absence of something but the presence of everything.”

— Gordon Hempton —

Full disclosure: When it comes to aspect ratios, I’ve become a bit OCD-ish over the years. Most of my work is in a strictly square (1×1) format, and I now only deviate from that to produce the occasional 6×17 “letterbox” panorama. Both aspect ratios are extreme in their own way, and I like that.

I don’t go for any intermediates, such as 6×7, 4×3, 2×3, or 9×16. It’s not that I particularly dislike any of these. They all have their merits in certain situations, for sure, but I believe in consistency throughout my body of work. As a matter of fact, when I don’t think I can make a specific composition work in either square or 6×17, I’m rather inclined to not take the shot at all. I’ll let you be the judge of whether or not that at least borders on OCD… 😉

I find that the classic 6×17 aspect ratio, similar to the slightly taller XPan (65×24) format, is perfectly suited for wide open spaces. Which is why the Bolivian Altiplano (also featured in the A Sea of Sorts gallery) is a perfect environment for it. The images in this gallery are all from the Salar de Uyuni area of the Altiplano, and they are meant to convey the feeling of blissful solitude in a uniquely beautiful place.

As a purely visual art, photography cannot easily convey the concept of sound, or lack thereof. This is unfortunate, as I found the incredible silence in parts of the Salar utterly fascinating. In fact, I don’t think I have ever been in a place that oozes silence quite like the Salar de Uyuni. The silence complements the visual calm; there are no moving elements other than the occasional distant clouds. No trees to rustle their leaves and no birds to break the complete and total silence…

Calling this a transcendental experience would probably be over the top and not my style, but it is pretty darn cool. Trust me, or go experience it for yourself…