Stunning ‘time-slice’ photos capture your favorite landmarks from sunrise to sunset
The Coliseum, Rome
Photographer Richard Silver has a pretty sweet job. He spends his time touring the world and its most famous landmarks shooting images at the most tranquil hour of sunrise and the dying moments of sunset. His ongoing photo series, Time Sliced, is an attempt to capture the fleeting beauty of day-to-night transitions, where 36 photos taken from dawn till dusk are spliced together to form a single image.By Monique Todd, for CNN
Courtesy of Richard Silver
Unity of Italy Square, Trieste
Armed with a tripod and Nikon D800, Silver spends only a day or two at various global locations. After finding the best spot to set up, the native New Yorker snaps up photos of his chosen landmark just as the sun rises. Silver then returns to the same spot 45 minutes before sunset as the sky turns into a deep blue. Silver doesn't, as often assumed, take his photos throughout the whole day - "people have misquoted me! I would say I work for about one hour and a half from start to finish."
Courtesy of Richard Silver
The Bund, Shanghai
For full effect, the images need to demonstrate a clear color progression. Silver makes sure that he has around 10 photos that show a drastic change in sky color and then he selects 32 shots to meld together at the end of the day.
Courtesy of Richard Silver
Big Ben, London
Despite being a lone traveler for the most part, Silver's photographs only work when the weather cooperates with him. His photos are the product of a somewhat collaborative effort, where nature has an equal stake in how things turn out. "As a photographer and traveler, the only thing that can ruin my day is rain! On light cloudy days there's no color change so I can't do the slicing" he says.
Courtesy of Richard Silver
Süleymaniye Mosque, Istanbul
Choosing locations turns out to be the easiest part of the whole process, where the most famous and recognizable monuments are cherry picked for his images. "It's like with the Big Ben, when you think of London, that's what you think of" he says.
Courtesy if Richard Silver
Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island
Claiming to conquer a city in no more than 10 hours, Silver gets his kicks from foreign lands and new territory. Photography may be his passion but travel, it seems, is in his blood. "I'm an incredibly energetic traveler. I use as many apps as possible so that I get to see what's important to me ... my itinerary is tight."
Courtesy of Richard Silver
Palace of Culture and Science, Warsaw
You will often find Silver nestled among tourists and locals, dodging family photos and smart phone holders as he tries to get flawless shots. "People do what I'm doing constantly! It's so funny, everyone is taking pictures, taking selfies, doing all these things right in front of me"
Courtesy of Richard Silver
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Starting his career as a film photographer, the dawn of digital cameras have since offered a wealth of possibilities that have helped make his experimental approaches possible, such as Tilt Shift and Panoramas. "The work I do now I could not even fathom doing when I was shooting in the pre-digital age. For me, digital has opened a totally new world."
Courtesy of Richard Silver
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul
However, Silver is still nostalgic for a time when photographs were more than pixels on a screen. The tangibility of the printed photo, with its potential matte and glossy finishes, add an additional dimension to the viewing experience, he argues. "Computers and monitors give a totally different texture to photography, it's not the same. The goal is to print my images for people."
Courtesy of Richard Silver
The Bird's Nest, Beijing
It goes without saying that photography has become part of everyday life. High-quality images constantly stream through our monitors, and as a result, we demand more. Inevitably, this has posed an interesting challenge to professionals. "I find the hardest thing is to have something that actually stands out amongst the crowd. I've been very lucky that people have keyed in on some of the work that I've done"
Even though photography has become second nature to most, Silver reveals how a little imagination can transform a simple shot into something spectacular.
