Oil, Water, Highlights: Calgary, AB

I made this photo in the least glamorous of locations – a parking lot near our apartment during one of Calgary's many spring thaws.  The streets were running with melt water, and the day was warm, so I grabbed my camera and headed out to take photos.

I didn't get far.  Walking through the parking lot on the way to the train, I noticed some patterns in a slick of motor oil on a puddle.  A spring wind was rippling the surface of the water, and the oil slick changed shape and texture constantly – smooth and round one instant, stretched and broken the next.

I moved myself so the sun was behind the slick, maximizing the reflection from its surface and posturing the patterns against the rough pavement and a strong backlight.  I played with the scene through my camera for hours, eventually making this exposure only a foot above the surface of the puddle.

Many people will question my motives for photographing an oil slick, especially in light of my environmentalist views.  It should be noted that I don't make photos like this to comment on environmental waste or excess – I simply try to find and interpret patterns from the world around me wherever and however I can.

Oil, Water, Highlights: Calgary, AB, 2007