“My passion for images in motion led to the creation of a custom built camera system. My DistaCam captures time and space on a 66 inch roll of film resulting in photographs that will amaze.”
One look at Rick Graves’ fine art photography and you might think it was manipulated with technology. In the age of digital panoramas and Photoshop, his impossibly-long (and at times, intriguingly distorted) images of cars racing, waves crashing, and people socializing seem like they couldn’t have been made without the help of screens or software.
However, these innovative shots have analog roots. Graves uses exclusively film for his imagery, and takes inspiration from a century-old technique called slit scan photography historically used to determine the winner of horse races. Rather than individual frames, a 66- inch roll of film becomes one long image with the help of a custom-built camera.
A DistaVision image essentially documents the passage of time, whether that be the last few seconds of a car race or a few minutes of a colorful Mardi Gras parade. Graves’s DistaVision work has taken him to Moscow, Hawaii, Japan, Paris, and beyond, and produced unique documentation of Nascar races, triathlons, dog shows, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and sailboats, to name a few.
In 1999, Graves was challenged by a creative director to come up with something totally new. Combining his childhood knack for inventing with his background in commercial automotive photography and an appreciation for action imagery by artists like sports photographer Neil Leifer, he devised what would become DistaVision, a groundbreaking photography style that has led to glowing mentions in Wired, AutoWeek, and a book on the evolution of the slit scan photography technique.
When it comes to printing and displaying DistaVision images, the sky’s the limit. Graves’s photos have been licensed by NASCAR, printed onto belts, and blown up to wrap around entire buildings. Graves is a longtime exhibitor at Laguna Beach’s acclaimed Festival of Arts, where you can witness his creations in person.
Rick is also available for commissions, and always eager to take on a challenge.
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