Frozen Time: Portals into other worlds by Misha Rauchwerger

My work is semi-abstract, surreal, and avant-garde. I am captivated by interesting forms and juxtapose elements in order to create mystery and amplify the magic I see in the world around me. My images invite the viewer to stay longer, drawing them into a deeper kind of “seeing.” Photography, for me, is a practice in seeing and presence. We go through life taking things that are right under our noses for granted, seeing in a superficial or preconceived way, or miss beauty entirely, limited by our own inner blockages. When I’m out with my camera, I force myself to observe more deeply, and search for those breathtaking glimpses I might normally miss.

I am intrigued by nature’s forms: Ice, flowing water, ancient trees, geological formations. I am drawn to seeing strong forms as my primary composition, and then I am interested in incorporating elements that can be juxtaposed, as found in a reflection, between foreground and background, edges, the contrast between flow and stillness, or illumination at just the right time. I see Nature as the ultimate sculptor, and painter. It is not so much that I am creating art, but unveiling that which exists around me. It is my job as a photographer to seek those interesting subjects out the infinite milieu, to wait for the light, to explore outside of the box of typical photos. My approach enables me to seek out that which is often overlooked, getting down on my belly, looking behind me in a window reflecting the scene in front of me, shimmying up a log, or coming back to a subject when the light itself becomes the subject.

It is my hope that my work inspires people to get out into the world, to explore with gusto, getting them to expand their comfort zones and find adventure in the limitless nature around them. I believe we all have the ability to re-ignite the curiosity we had as children. Our vision of the world through images may be a powerful portal for a deeper level of seeing.






Misha Rauchwerger
The art of photography has fascinated me since childhood, when I was given an all-manual rangefinder camera from my father. It quickly blossomed into my favorite acBvity: going out on photographic bicycle adventures with my best friend, making a pinhole 4x5 camera which I would load in my closet, seGng up my own darkroom, and rolling and developing film. In addiBon to blending the technical with the creaBve act, I find photography an incredible means for bringing the magic of nature and spirit of adventure to my viewers.

My earliest work was representaBonal, especially aHer meeBng my hero, Ansel Adams. I admired how Adam’s work incorporated his ethos and love for the environment. In college, I studied with Life Photographer Mark Kauffman, and was inspired by his versaBlity and thus I began to expand my way of seeing.

Since then, my photographs have become more abstract as I mature in my craH. Maybe it’s my love of physics and a desire to understand the underlying meaning of life through paPerns, or perhaps it’s simply the awe I feel when confronted with the incredible sculptural and transient forms nature creates, augmented by the interplay of light, weather, and movement.

As a teacher, musician, builder, physicist, and maker, I love to create things, especially when combined with a side that requires technical mastery. My latest project is a book on seeing which seeks ways to explore and heighten their photographic experience.
www.misharauchwerger.com
@misharauchwergerphotography