Aaron Wessling's Timeless Vision: Four Years Documenting Mount Tabor Park
Capturing Time's Embrace: Mount Tabor Through a Photographer's Eye
Mount Tabor: A Dynamic Urban Oasis
Mount Tabor, nestled atop an extinct volcano in Southeast Portland, holds a special place in Aaron Wessling's heart. Since 2022, he has been a frequent visitor, drawn by its breathtaking city views and vibrant atmosphere. The park serves as a lively hub, hosting everything from tranquil summer picnics and energetic Wednesday night raves to thrilling boxcar derbies and educational birdwatching tours. When winter arrives, a blanket of snow transforms the landscape into a playful haven for sledders, snowboarders, and cross-country skiers, showcasing the unique character and charm that define Portland.
The Art of Rephotography: A Personal Journey
Wessling's connection to Mount Tabor runs deep, stemming from his early days in the Pacific Northwest when the park offered solace and a sense of belonging. His photographic endeavor was profoundly inspired by Hayahisa Tomiyasu's TTP rephotography project, which documented a single ping pong table in Leipzig, Germany, over five years. Fascinated by the potential for a comprehensive study of a public space from multiple perspectives, Wessling began rephotographing his existing images of Mount Tabor, evolving his project into a unique artistic exploration.
A Focused Approach to Capturing Change
Between 2022 and 2024, Wessling made over 70 visits to Mount Tabor, meticulously selecting scenes that blend natural beauty with human activity. His method for achieving compositional consistency involves establishing a fixed camera position and a consistent focal point. This rigorous approach, perfected over several visits, ensures that despite the ever-changing elements within the frame, the core composition remains unified. Wessling utilizes a grid overlay on his Fuji GFX medium format system's digital viewfinder, and during processing, to maintain precise alignment. He acknowledges that absolute perfection isn't the goal, but rather a consistent framework that allows the universe's offerings to unfold within the fixed boundaries of his lens.