The Arts & Culture Journal

Alex Rankin is a photographer whose obsession with light and colour has resulted in a spectrum of stunning prints. On display here is a collection of photographs that combine professional execution with an almost child-like fascination with experimentation.

Such experimentation is rare, many photographers quickly fall into a comfort zone that produces a constant mediocre output. Alex however, continues to push his own boundaries by playing with the temperamental art of long-exposure and light.

Alex’s photographs concentrate not so much on the object, but rather a distorted reflection of it. He says, “…there's almost always an abstract element to my photos. I love not quite knowing what I'm looking at, or indeed, how the image came about.” Throw into the mix the element of water and the images are thrown across the page - liquid dragging and distorting light into unfamiliar patterns.

“I'm very interested in reflections, as they create a whole new dimension to the way light behaves. It’s like looking into another world.”

This ‘other world’ quality Alex refers to is what makes his photographs so compelling. We instantly recognise that we should know what we’re looking at, but the abstraction in the way it has been captured creates a momentary confusion.

Alex’s photographs often derive from midnight wanderings through urban settings. There is an affectionate quality to this work that comes from the photographer not quite knowing what he will find. He recalls one such occasion, “I decided to go out with my camera one night after it had been raining and I came across this reflection of a shop window in a puddle. I was there for ages, mesmerised by the colours. It wasn’t the most savoury of areas and I think I came