It’s Art, But Is It Photography? The Work of David Burdeny

When the weather is nice, I often walk home, which takes me down West Broadway in Soho. Nestled between Oliver People’s and a parking garage is the Lumas gallery, and there’s always one photo in the window that catches my eye.

Photographer David Burdeny studied interior design and architecture in Manitoba, but like many of us, has had a love affair with photography since he was a kid. His “Drift” series is an exploration of slow shutter speeds while traveling through various locales around the world.

 

This type of abstract photography is something I would have scoffed at 20 years ago. But I’ve come to realize that when you view photography as piece to hang in your house, it can sometimes be too literal — for example, I love James Nachtwey’s work, but it’s not something I’d like to stare at in my apartment on a daily basis.

And Drift is a body of work with tremendous consistency. It’s not an experiment by a photo student, and I think the level of expertise and experience shows. You might disagree. By the way, here’s my favorite — it’s a triptych and I want it!

I had been looking at David’s work on the Lumas website for over a year, but never bothered to Google him until last night, and I was pleasantly surprised to find his other work, particularly the stuff he’s done in Greenland and Antarctica. Icebergs are pretty cool…

Speaking of icebergs, if you don’t know Camille Seaman‘s (TED 2011 Fellow) work, check it out. Icebergs are her thang.

Photo by Camille Seaman

Lastly, what struck me the most about David’s work is actually how I found it because it wasn’t online despite the inordinate amount of time I spend in front of a computer. I first saw his work at the Lumas gallery in the Mall at Short Hills, and then again in Soho. So despite living in the information age, it was seeing a large physical piece in a shop window that caught my eye. And this is actually something that James Bourret commented on in our free “How to Sell Prints” eBook — specifically that you cannot engender the emotional response that someone gets from seeing a large print in person with a 800 pixel jpg.