ZA-ZRAKEM
ZA-ZRAKEM (BEYOND THE SIGHT): A Portrait of Time and the Transience of Being
Time. An invisible force that shapes our world, molds our thoughts, and transforms us. Every moment we experience is already fading into the past. But how do you capture something so fleeting? How do you give form to what is constantly changing?
This question led me to create the photograph BEYOND THE SIGHT, which is not just a portrait of a person but an attempt to visually materialize the passage of time. I wanted to create an image that is not a fixed point in time but rather a reflection of its flow.
ZAZRAKEM, 2021, tisk na plátno 100×100 cm
The Technique: A Dance of Light and Motion
To achieve this effect, I combined several technical elements. Long exposure allowed me to record the subject’s movement over time, while constant colored lights created smooth tonal transitions and set the mood of the image. Additionally, white flashes helped retain sharp details in certain areas and introduced another layer of dynamism.
The result? An image that is not a static portrait but a visual interpretation of the ever-changing nature of human identity. The blurred contours merge, as if the subject’s identity is unfolding into multiple dimensions—revealing not just their present form but also its evolution over time.
A Team Effort Behind the Lens
The creation of BEYOND THE SIGHT was not a solo endeavor—five people collaborated to bring this vision to life. Each of them contributed their skills and energy to make this photograph possible. Working with the model, coordinating the lights, precisely timing movement and exposure—every aspect required careful planning while remaining open to improvisation.
Light as a Medium for Capturing the Invisible
The color palette of this photograph is no coincidence. Cool blues and purples evoke a sense of depth and mystery, while warmer reds and oranges bring life and dynamism to the image. It is a visual interplay between stillness and movement, between stability and transformation.
In this context, light is not merely a tool for exposure but a medium that shapes the very meaning of the image. White flashes provide sharpness and definition, while constant colored lights enable smooth transitions and create the illusion of time in motion.
Photography as a Record of Change
For me, BEYOND THE SIGHT is more than just a technical experiment—it is a visual metaphor for how we perceive ourselves. Each of us consists of multiple layers, many faces that shift depending on circumstances, emotions, and the passage of time.
A portrait usually serves as a way to preserve a memory of a specific moment. But what if it could be more than that? What if it could capture the process of transformation itself?
With this image, I aim to express the idea that nothing is permanent—yet every change carries its own order and beauty.
And perhaps that is the essence of photography: giving visible form to something otherwise intangible.
