Don't Blink

Our vision is one of the most common aspects of life. Although not everyone in the world can see, most take for granted the sight that we have. This exhibit may not be the most exciting or most colorful, but you will not see any other one like it. Using stroboscopic techniques in photography, the quick flashes of light allow the human eye to fathom an image that occurs too fast for the naked eye. Beginning a revolution in high speed photography, Harold E. Edgerton takes every day activities and turns them on its side. In this exhibit you will first look at the amazing forces behind objects moving at top speed like the force behind a gold club colliding with a ball or the shock waves created by a speeding bullet. This exhibit also shows the interest of Dr. Edgerton as he looked at two particular fast moments: sports and bullets. Do not blink as you enter in. Be amazed at what your eyes do not see. Be amazed at what they can see. Whether it is a common occurrence like kicking a football, pouring milk into more milk, or hitting a golf ball, our eyes can only see what our naked eyes allow us to see. Harold E. Edgerton stops time. His use of the stroboscopic photography and his high speed camera gives the viewers a picture into the frozen world of stopped time.

[Bullet: Shock Wave Revealed], Harold Edgerton, 1957

Gelatin Silver Print, 1991.1322

            This particular photograph by Edgerton is fascinating, mostly because it is an uncommon photograph or Edgerton. He would usually fire the bullet through everyday objects. The shock waves you see in the photograph are audible. The bullet is traveling faster than the speed of sound creating a picture of what that looks like. This bullet is traveling faster than you hear people talking around you or the sound of the air conditioner blowing.  Edgerton just displays how scientifically amazing that phenomenon is.

[Milk Drop Falling Into Reservoir of Milk (7/9], Harold Edgerton, 1935,

Gelatin Silver Print, 1997.62.34

            Number seven in a sequence of nine, this photograph takes a common occurrence and shows the viewer what cannot be seen by the naked eye. This particular photograph shows the suspended milk drop as the milk begins to rest in the reservoir. Notice the droplet at the top. Because it is no being affected by any outside force, it is a perfect sphere which shows the detail and perfection of our world and materials.

[Pellets Fired From Shotgun Still Partially Within Casing], Harold Edgerton, 1964

Gelatin Silver Print, 1997.62.12

            Like the Bullet: Shock Wave Revealed, this photograph is not of any object coming in contact with another. This creatively displays what the firing of a shotgun results in. And with the use of the stroboscopic photography and the high speed camera, Edgerton is able to capture the defining moment of the firing of the shotgun: the release of the pellets. This photograph does not show the shock waves of the bullet, but the bust of the casing and the release of the pellet show the power and force behind the moving object.

[Bullet Cutting Through Playing Card], Harold Edgerton, 1960

Gelatin Silver Print, 1997.62.45

            Keeping his experiments with bullets, Edgerton adds an object to his firing. The king of hearts playing card is held in the path of the bullet. The beauty of this photograph is the cut of the card. The bullet is already past the card, but the card looks as if it has not moved. Edgerton cut many cards in his experiments, missing quite a few, and you can wonder why. When he did make contact with the card, the slicing of the object is astonishing.

[Detail of Golf Club Hitting Ball], Harold Edgerton, 1935

Gelatin Silver Print, 1997.62.27

            One of the most fascinating photographs taken by Edgerton, this one of the golf ball shows the force of human interaction and movement. Everyone knows that golf balls are solid. So when Edgerton decided to study the hitting of the golf ball, the common conceptions are questioned. As the club hits the golf ball, the viewer sees the flattening of the ball and is astounded by the power and the deformation of the golf ball as it begins its ascent into the air and down the fairway.

Wes Fesler Kicking a Football, Harold Edgerton, 1935

Gelatin Silver Print, 1987.1100.89

            Edgerton enjoyed working with athletes, and Wes Fesler was the perfect candidate for the job. An All-American football player at the time, Wes Fesler was an athlete that embodied power and finesse. As Felser attempts to kick the football, the stroboscopic camera captures two distinct features unseen to the naked eye of the viewer. The apparent deflation of the football, just like the golf ball, expressed the power behind the action. And the suspension of the dirt above the football illustrates the speed being portrayed by the action caught with a photograph.