Most people stop noticing the locations, they pass by every day, but Lezley Woodham tends to see these places in a different way. She is fascinated by the play of time, space, and light on surfaces, and trying to capture a unique moment when all the elements align in a particular way. Lezley is drawn to the beauty of nature, gathering of light, intensity of color, complexity of texture, the elegance of line or moment of stillness.
Lately she has been intrigued by the concept of taking photographs of the same place, but at different times. Often, she will go back to the same places at different times of day, with the same viewpoint to do a careful study of the original setting.
Seasons and variations in weather, time of day, clouds and light endlessly remake familiar landscapes. When comparing those images, she’s captured from a specific viewing point she is always amazed at how different the same scene can appear simply by changing the season of the year, time of day, or type of weather condition during her visit.
In her barn series over the course of one year, she has photographed the exact same barn, with the same composition, the same angle, the same distance, and the same orientation to highlight the four different seasons as the year progresses. What an interesting way to show a year. Each period has its own charm and character—from snowy trees to glowing fields. The landscape thus looks quite different depending on the season. These images show how time can sometimes change everything, while some things stay the same. Whether it is the golden glow of the field in Barn Study 1 Spring, or the pink sky in Barn Study 2 Fall, this same location has something new to offer at any time depending on the season and the light variation and even depending on my own mood and inspiration.
Changes in lighting and different seasons creates a dramatic shift in the mood and content of her photos. When she shoots, she remembers that she is taking pictures of light, not just of an object. How that light interplays and interacts with the subject is important.
She has been standing at that same spot on more occasions than she can remember and, to be quite honest, every time she stands there, she gets the same awe-inspiring feeling that surely fills every avid landscape photographer’s soul.