Shotgun Charge n.d.

Curator: This gelatin silver print, entitled "Shotgun Charge," was created by Harold Edgerton. Editor: It looks like a ghostly bloom in a dark void, a fleeting moment made visible. Curator: Edgerton, born in 1903, pioneered stroboscopic photography, freezing motion through high-speed flash technology. Think about the labor required to set up the conditions for this image. Editor: Absolutely, but isn't it also about capturing raw energy? It is an invisible force made palpable. I imagine the sound, the bang echoing in the silence. Curator: I think it also makes us consider the science and technology of image making, which often goes unconsidered. Editor: Well, for me, it's pure drama, an instant of explosive power caught in monochrome. Curator: Edgerton really prompts consideration of the tools we make to extend vision and alter perception. Editor: A beautiful intersection of art, science, and a bit of thrilling danger.