The passing of time, caught in a single photo | Stephen Wilkes

譯者: Regina Chu 審譯者: Marssi Draw

I'm driven by pure passion

純粹的熱情驅使著我

to create photographs that tell stories.

創作會說故事的照片。

Photography can be described as the recording of a single moment

攝影可以說是 把某一個瞬間記錄下來，

frozen within a fraction of time.

凍結那片刻。

Each moment or photograph represents a tangible piece

每一個瞬間，或說每一張照片， 都將我們時間長河中的記憶

of our memories as time passes.

以有形的物體表現出來。

But what if you could capture more than one moment in a photograph?

但是，如果你在照片中捕捉到的 不只是某個片斷會怎麼樣呢？

What if a photograph could actually collapse time,

如果攝影能瓦解時間，

compressing the best moments of the day and the night

將白天黑夜中最好的各個瞬間 都壓縮起來，

seamlessly into one single image?

合成為一張影像，會怎樣呢？

I've created a concept called "Day to Night"

我創造了一種稱為 「從白晝到黑夜」的概念，

and I believe it's going to change

我相信這會改變

the way you look at the world.

你看世界的方式。

I know it has for me.

至少對我的確如此。

My process begins by photographing iconic locations,

整個過程從拍攝 幾個著名的地標景點開始，

places that are part of what I call our collective memory.

我把這幾個地方稱為 「我們的集體記憶」。

I photograph from a fixed vantage point, and I never move.

我從一個固定的有利據點拍攝， 而且我不移動。

I capture the fleeting moments of humanity and light as time passes.

隨著時間推移， 我捕捉轉瞬即逝的人性及光影。

Photographing for anywhere from 15 to 30 hours

在每個地方都拍攝 約 15 到 30 小時，

and shooting over 1,500 images,

拍超過 1,500 張影像，

I then choose the best moments of the day and night.

然後我選幾個 白天及黑夜最好的瞬間。

Using time as a guide,

用時間作指標，

I seamlessly blend those best moments into one single photograph,

我將這幾個瞬間的影像 合成一張相片，

visualizing our conscious journey with time.

將我們隨著時間 而產生的意識旅程視覺化。

I can take you to Paris

我可以帶你到巴黎

for a view from the Tournelle Bridge.

從托內爾橋上賞景。

And I can show you the early morning rowers

我還可以秀出清晨的槳手

along the River Seine.

沿著塞納河划船。

And simultaneously,

同時，

I can show you Notre Dame aglow at night.

我還可以讓大家看 夜裡閃耀的巴黎聖母院。

And in between, I can show you the romance of the City of Light.

在之間，我還可以展示 這座光城的浪漫。

I am essentially a street photographer from 50 feet in the air,

基本上我就是街頭攝影師， 不過是在 50 呎高的空中，

and every single thing you see in this photograph

你在這張相片中看到的每一樣東西

actually happened on this day.

都是當天發生的事。

Day to Night is a global project,

「從白晝到黑夜」是全球性計畫，

and my work has always been about history.

而且我的工作總是跟歷史有關。

I'm fascinated by the concept of going to a place like Venice

我著迷於一種概念， 就是去某個地方，比如說威尼斯，

and actually seeing it during a specific event.

然後從某個特別的活動 來觀察這個地方。

And I decided I wanted to see the historical Regata,

我決定我要去看 歷史悠久的貢多拉船比賽，

an event that's actually been taking place since 1498.

這項活動從 1498 年就開始了。

The boats and the costumes look exactly as they did then.

船隻與服裝都與當年一模一樣。

And an important element that I really want you guys to understand is:

我真的很想讓大家明白 一個很重要的因素：

this is not a timelapse,

這不是縮時，

this is me photographing throughout the day and the night.

這是我從白天到黑夜所拍的相片。

I am a relentless collector of magical moments.

我持續不懈地收集神奇的時刻。

And the thing that drives me is the fear of just missing one of them.

驅使我的是害怕自己 錯失任何神奇瞬間。

The entire concept came about in 1996.

整個概念大約在 1996 年成形。

LIFE Magazine commissioned me to create a panoramic photograph

生活雜誌 LIFE 委託我 製作一張全景相片，

of the cast and crew of Baz Luhrmann's film Romeo + Juliet.

拍攝巴茲·魯曼影片 《羅密歐與茱麗葉》中的全體劇組員。

I got to the set and realized: it's a square.

我到了片場才發現：它是方形的。

So the only way I could actually create a panoramic was to shoot a collage

我要做全景相片唯一的辦法就是

拍 250 張相片，然後拼貼起來。

of 250 single images.

So I had DiCaprio and Claire Danes embracing.

所以我叫李奧納多·狄卡皮歐 及克萊兒·丹妮絲抱在一起。

And as I pan my camera to the right,

在我向右平移鏡頭時，

I noticed there was a mirror on the wall

我注意到牆上有面鏡子，

and I saw they were actually reflecting in it.

我看到鏡子上正反映著他們的樣子。

And for that one moment, that one image

為了那一剎那，那個影像，

I asked them, "Would you guys just kiss

我要求他們：「你們親一下吧？

for this one picture?"

我要拍這張相片。」

And then I came back to my studio in New York,

然後我回到在紐約的工作室，

and I hand-glued these 250 images together

親手把這 250 張相片黏在一起，

and stood back and went, "Wow, this is so cool!

退後看了一看， 然後說：「哇！好酷！

I'm changing time in a photograph."

我正在改變照片的時間。」

And that concept actually stayed with me for 13 years

那個概念其實跟了我 13 年，

until technology finally has caught up to my dreams.

直到科技終於趕上我的夢想。

This is an image I created of the Santa Monica Pier, Day to Night.

這張影像是我在加州聖塔莫尼卡碼頭 創作出的「從白晝到黑夜」作品。

And I'm going to show you a little video

我要給大家看一小段影片，

that gives you an idea of what it's like being with me

讓你們了解

我在製作這些照片時的狀況。

when I do these pictures.

To start with, you have to understand that to get views like this,

首先，你得明白 要得到像這樣的景觀，

most of my time is spent up high, and I'm usually in a cherry picker

大部分的時間都要待在高處， 通常我會用活動吊車

or a crane.

或起重機。

So this is a typical day, 12-18 hours, non-stop

所以這是很典型的一天， 12 至 18 小時，不休息，

capturing the entire day unfold.

一整天都在照相。

One of the things that's great is I love to people-watch.

有一件事很棒，就是我喜歡看人。

And trust me when I tell you,

而且你一定要相信我，只要我說

this is the greatest seat in the house to have.

這裡是整個廳裡最棒的位置。

But this is really how I go about creating these photographs.

但是我真的是這樣做出這些相片的。

So once I decide on my view and the location,

一旦我選好了景觀及地點，

I have to decide where day begins and night ends.

我就要決定白天從哪裡開始， 黑夜從哪裡結束。

And that's what I call the time vector.

這就是我說的時間向量。

Einstein described time as a fabric.

愛因斯坦說時間就像布一樣。

Think of the surface of a trampoline:

把表面想像成一張彈簧床：

it warps and stretches with gravity.

它會隨重力扭曲和延伸。

I see time as a fabric as well,

我也把時間看成一塊布，

except I take that fabric and flatten it, compress it into single plane.

但是我把布弄平，壓縮成單一平面。

One of the unique aspects of this work is also,

這份工作有個獨特之處，

if you look at all my pictures,

如果你看我所有的照片，

the time vector changes:

會發現時間向量也會改變：

sometimes I'll go left to right,

有時候是從左到右，

sometimes front to back, up or down, even diagonally.

有時候是前到後，上或下， 甚至是斜角的。

I am exploring the space-time continuum

我用二維靜物攝影探索時空連續統。

within a two-dimensional still photograph.

Now when I do these pictures,

我做這些照片時，

it's literally like a real-time puzzle going on in my mind.

真的就像有塊即時拼圖 在我的腦海中。

I build a photograph based on time,

我以時間為基礎來建構一張相片，

and this is what I call the master plate.

這個是我說的母版。

This can take us several months to complete.

我們要花好幾個月來完成這個。

The fun thing about this work is

這個工作好玩的地方是

I have absolutely zero control when I get up there

無論我在哪天上去照相， 都沒有任何控制權。

on any given day and capture photographs.

So I never know who's going to be in the picture,

所以我不知道誰會出現在照片裡，

if it's going to be a great sunrise or sunset -- no control.

那天的日出日落好不好看 都無法控制。

It's at the end of the process,

只有到了攝影最後，

if I've had a really great day and everything remained the same,

如果那天我真的運氣很好， 每件事都還保持原樣，

that I then decide who's in and who's out,

我才會決定誰入選誰出局，

and it's all based on time.

這些都以時間為基礎。

I'll take those best moments that I pick over a month of editing

我會在費時一個月以上的編輯中， 選出最好的幾個時刻，

and they get seamlessly blended into the master plate.

然後把他們合成進母版。

I'm compressing the day and night

我把白天黑夜壓縮起來，

as I saw it,

照我看到的樣子，

creating a unique harmony between these two very discordant worlds.

在這兩種非常不協調的世界之間 做出一種獨特的和諧感。

Painting has always been a really important influence in all my work

繪畫一直都對我的工作 有很重要的影響，

and I've always been a huge fan of Albert Bierstadt,

我一直是阿爾伯特·比爾施塔特 (Albert Bierstadt) 的大粉絲，

the great Hudson River School painter.

他是哈德遜河派的偉大畫家。

He inspired a recent series that I did on the National Parks.

他啟發我做出最近的系列作品 ──國家公園。

This is Bierstadt's Yosemite Valley.

這是比爾施塔特的優勝美地；

So this is the photograph I created of Yosemite.

這是我做出的優勝美地照片。

This is actually the cover story of the 2016 January issue

這其實是 2016 年一月

國家地理雜誌的封面故事。

of National Geographic.

I photographed for over 30 hours in this picture.

這張相片裡我拍了超過 30 小時的照片。

I was literally on the side of a cliff,

我真的就在懸崖的一邊，

capturing the stars and the moonlight as it transitions,

在星月交際時拍攝星星月亮，

the moonlight lighting El Capitan.

月光照亮伊爾酋長岩 (El Capitan)。

And I also captured this transition of time throughout the landscape.

我也捕捉到整個景觀 時間轉換之際。

The best part is obviously seeing the magical moments of humanity

最棒的部分，很明顯， 就是看到人文的神奇時刻

as time changed --

隨著時間轉變，

from day into night.

從白晝到黑夜。

And on a personal note,

在我的私人筆記本裡，

I actually had a photocopy of Bierstadt's painting in my pocket.

我其實在夾層中塞了一張 比爾施塔特的畫作影印。

And when that sun started to rise in the valley,

那天山谷日出時，

I started to literally shake with excitement

我真的興奮到發抖，

because I looked at the painting and I go,

因為我看著那張畫作然後大叫：

"Oh my god, I'm getting Bierstadt's exact same lighting

「不得了，我取得跟 比爾施塔特一樣的光線，

100 years earlier."

跟一百年前一樣！」

Day to Night is about all the things,

「從白晝到黑夜」包羅萬象，

it's like a compilation of all the things I love

它就像我心所愛的攝影媒介全集。

about the medium of photography.

It's about landscape,

它跟景觀有關，

it's about street photography,

跟街頭攝影有關，

it's about color, it's about architecture,

跟顏色、建築、

perspective, scale -- and, especially, history.

角度、比例都有關， 還跟歷史特別有關。

This is one of the most historical moments

這是我能夠拍攝的東西裡 極具歷史性的時刻，

I've been able to photograph,

the 2013 Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama.

2013 年巴拉克·歐巴馬 總統就職典禮。

And if you look closely in this picture,

如果你仔細看這張照片，

you can actually see time changing

你其實可以在這幾個大電視裡 看到時間的變化。

in those large television sets.

You can see Michelle waiting with the children,

你可以看到蜜雪兒與孩子一起等待，

the president now greets the crowd,

總統現在與群眾打招呼，

he takes his oath,

他宣誓，

and now he's speaking to the people.

發表就職演說。

There's so many challenging aspects when I create photographs like this.

我在做像這樣的照片時 其實有多方面的挑戰。

For this particular photograph,

就拿這張照片來說，

I was in a 50-foot scissor lift up in the air

我待在一部 50 呎高的 剪刀式起降機上，

and it was not very stable.

還不太穩。

So every time my assistant and I shifted our weight,

所以每次我的助手和我移位時，

our horizon line shifted.

我們的水平線就跟著移位。

So for every picture you see,

所以你看到的每張相片，

and there were about 1,800 in this picture,

這張裡約有 1,800 張照片，

we both had to tape our feet into position

每次我按下快門，我們兩個都得把腳

every time I clicked the shutter.

牢牢黏在位置上不動。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

I've learned so many extraordinary things doing this work.

在這份工作中我學到很多厲害的事。

I think the two most important are patience

我想最重要的兩點就是耐心

and the power of observation.

及觀察的力量。

When you photograph a city like New York from above,

你從上方拍攝像紐約這樣的城市時，

I discovered that those people in cars

我發現在車子裡的人，

that I sort of live with everyday,

可以說是每天和我一起生活的人，

they don't look like people in cars anymore.

他們看起來一點都不像 車子裡的人了。

They feel like a giant school of fish,

他們感覺像一大群魚，

it was a form of emergent behavior.

以一種湧現的行為模式存在。

And when people describe the energy of New York,

有時候大家在說紐約的能量，

I think this photograph begins to really capture that.

我想這張影像抓住了精髓。

When you look closer in my work,

如果你仔細看我的作品，

you can see there's stories going on.

你會看到裡面在說故事。

You realize that Times Square is a canyon,

你會發現時代廣場是座峽谷，

it's shadow and it's sunlight.

它的陰影、它的陽光。

So I decided, in this photograph, I would checkerboard time.

所以我決定在這張影像中， 要以棋盤格表現時間。

So wherever the shadows are, it's night

所以只要有陰影的地方就是晚上，

and wherever the sun is, it's actually day.

有陽光的地方就是白天。

Time is this extraordinary thing

時間是很厲害的東西，

that we never can really wrap our heads around.

我們永遠也無法完全理解。

But in a very unique and special way,

但是以這種非常獨特和特別的方法，

I believe these photographs begin to put a face on time.

我相信這些相片 能讓我們更了解時間。

They embody a new metaphysical visual reality.

他們體現了一種新的、 形而上的視覺現實。

When you spend 15 hours looking at a place,

當你花 15 小時看一個地方，

you're going to see things a little differently

你看事情會有一點點不一樣，

than if you or I walked up with our camera,

比你或我背著相機去某處，

took a picture, and then walked away.

照張相，然後就離開不一樣。

This was a perfect example.

我有個很棒的例子，

I call it "Sacré-Coeur Selfie."

我稱為「聖心堂自拍」。

I watched over 15 hours

我觀察了 15 個小時以上，

all these people not even look at Sacré-Coeur.

這些人連看都沒看聖心堂一眼。

They were more interested in using it as a backdrop.

他們比較想用它當布景。

They would walk up, take a picture,

他們會走到前面，照張相，

and then walk away.

然後走開。

And I found this to be an absolutely extraordinary example,

我發現這是個絕妙的例子，

a powerful disconnect between what we think the human experience is

非常強大的脫節感， 存在於我們以為的人類經驗

versus what the human experience is evolving into.

及人類經驗演變的結局之間。

The act of sharing has suddenly become more important

「分享」這種行為突然間變得

比經驗本身更為重要。

than the experience itself.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

And finally, my most recent image,

最後，我最新的影像，

which has such a special meaning for me personally:

對我個人有特別的意義：

this is the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

這是位於坦尚尼亞的 塞倫蓋提國家公園。

And this is photographed in the middle of the Seronera,

這張是在塞羅勒那中央拍的，

this is not a reserve.

這裡不是保留區。

I went specifically during the peak migration

我特別挑在 動物遷徙高峰時期去那裡，

to hopefully capture the most diverse range of animals.

希望能捕捉到最多種動物。

Unfortunately, when we got there,

可惜，我們到達的時候，

there was a drought going on during the peak migration,

那裡正面臨乾旱， 就在遷徙高峰時期，

a five-week drought.

為期五週的乾旱。

So all the animals were drawn to the water.

所以動物都被吸引到水邊。

I found this one watering hole,

我發現這個水坑，

and felt if everything remained the same way it was behaving,

而且覺得如果一切的表現 都保持原樣，

I had a real opportunity to capture something unique.

我的確有機會捕捉到獨特的東西。

We spent three days studying it,

我們花了三天研究它，

and nothing could have prepared me

然而什麼都比不上

for what I witnessed during our shoot day.

我在攝影當天親眼目睹的現象。

I photographed for 26 hours

我照了 26 個小時，

in a sealed crocodile blind, 18 feet in the air.

躲在一個離地 18 呎高、 密不通風的鱷魚偽裝裡。

What I witnessed was unimaginable.

我目睹的現象令人想像不到。

Frankly, it was Biblical.

坦白說，還真符合聖經原則。

We saw, for 26 hours,

這 26 個小時，我們看到

all these competitive species share a single resource called water.

這些競爭性物種 共享一種資源，就叫水。

The same resource that humanity is supposed to have wars over

人類應該會在未來 50 年 為同樣的資源打仗，

during the next 50 years.

The animals never even grunted at each other.

這些動物卻從未彼此吼叫半聲。

They seem to understand something that we humans don't.

牠們好像都明白 我們人類不明白的道理。

That this precious resource called water

這種稱為水的珍貴資源

is something we all have to share.

是我們必須共享的。

When I created this picture,

我做這張照片時，

I realized that Day to Night is really a new way of seeing,

我了解到「從白晝到黑夜」 真的是觀看的新方法，

compressing time,

壓縮時間，

exploring the space-time continuum within a photograph.

在照片中探索時空連續統。

As technology evolves along with photography,

當科技隨著攝影演進，

photographs will not only communicate a deeper meaning of time and memory,

照片不只拿來溝通 時間與記憶的深層意義，

but they will compose a new narrative of untold stories,

還是一種新的方法 敘述不為人知的故事，

creating a timeless window into our world.

為我們的世界開啟一扇 不受時間限制的窗口。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）