Confessions of a Cameratruck

Thursday, October 01, 2009

This Friday, Oct. 2, Rocketts Landing welcomes world-renowned and Richmond-based photographer Shaun Irving to 210 Rock for Landscapes in a Truck, an exclusive exhibit of photographs taken with his Cameratruck during a tour across Spain.

Turning a truck into a giant camera began as a joke in college. Irving ruminated on the concept for a few years, but the idea never left him. So in 2004, using all of his savings, Irving bought an old U.S. mail truck and built the vehicle into the world’s largest travelling camera.

“My original plan was to go around the whole Southeast,” Irving says. “I wanted to teach kids about photography, and take great photos along the way.”

Unfortunately, the original tour fell through. The idea received great publicity, however, and it wasn’t long before an ad agency in Spain learned about Irving’s Cameratruck and invited him to tour the country in 2006.

The three-week long, 4000-mile trip resulted in 70 photos, all in black and white, and approximately 8-feet in length. Irving’s theme was nature, but he adds that the concept of “urban decay” also found its way into the photos. “There’s a little bit of man’s touch in the natural world. Some ways good, some ways bad,” he says. “There are a lot of pretty vistas [in the collection], but also interesting abandoned factories and such.”

Taking a single picture is certainly no quick point and click. In fact, each photo takes anywhere from one to three hours to create.

The truck’s camera is designed as a light-tight box with a hole on the driver’s side. The hole projects every image upside down and backwards onto giant 4’x8’ photographic paper hung inside the truck. To take a photo, Irving drives to his desired destination and parks. He then climbs into the truck, exposes the paper to light and develops the image using standard chemicals and hand tools.

The result?

Stunning, light-infused images that feel caught between a century-old photograph and a modern work of art. And because of Irving’s approach, every print is truly unique.

“It’s an uneven developing [process],” says Irving, “and you end up with crazy images around the edge. It gives the negative a very interesting and different look each time.”

Because of the photographic paper’s size, Irving’s negatives are about seven- to eight-feet wide, approximately 3000 times larger than a typical 35mm negative. "Consequently, you end up with really fine detail that you wouldn’t have otherwise,” he says.

Landscapes in a Truck will show for one night only. Residents and other guests are invited to attend the opening reception from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. featuring food and wine from The Boathouse, and music by a flamenco guitarist. The show is open to the public from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

To learn more about Shaun Irving’s work, please visit Cameratruck.net.