10,000 Days on the River
A Series of Photographs by Capt. Mike Ostrander
Rivers are haunting and timeless. 10,000 Days on the River is taking me on a journey. Many journeys. By boat and by foot. Yesterday. Today. Hundreds of years ago.
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A Star Began to Fall
On the river no light nor sound were present.
I could smell trees.
Looking eastward twilight arrived.
A slight breeze to the face and a star began to fall.
Echoes from Distant Shores
Creaking sounds of trees and dying leaves. Fall. Whistling.
The distant sounds of wind.
Fingers of time shaping vision into words.
Listening for years. Finally hearing their whisper.
"These lands were shaped by harmony."
Angels Came Out That Night
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The Sun fell below the horizon. Fog set in.
Everything stopped. Silence.
Floating on dark water trying to find my way.
I saw two angels with spred wings.
Their dimming lights guided my way.
A Friend in the Distance, at Twilight
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In the beginning it was dark and hard to see.
Until the sun drew closer to the horizon. Twilight.
When light and time begin to separate.
I saw myself in the distance.
600 Years Ago
The forest lightens nearest the river.
Sycamores whisper. Riffles applaud.
Composing. Oils to canvas.
600 years ago.
Flatwater
Another long journey. Of foot. Downriver.
In sight, flatwater.
The warm smell of smoke energizes me.
About the artist and 10,000 Days on the River
Capt. Mike’s Ostrander’s art has revolved around the waterfront for more than 45 years. From pencil drawings of bass and trout as a teenager, to pastels featuring sunrises on the James River as an adult. Despite moving into other media, photography has been the medium that never left his attention. His most important images feature black and white photos of rivers, monuments in Richmond, and the statuary of Hollywood Cemetery.
Today, after more than 25 years as a full-time guide on the James River, his photographic images not surprisingly feature a deeper appreciation of rivers. Capt. Mike says, “Rivers are timeless and haunting, especially an hour and a half before sunrise when astronomical twilight begins.” He continues, "The atmosphere is magical, evoking thoughts of time, distance, and memory. You become one with what you see, hear and feel as your deepest thoughts awaken.”
Where the river and dawn meet is a magical intersection for Capt. Mike. The difference now is his accumulated experience on rivers and continued experimentation with the camera. His images are formed inside the camera itself, using a technique called Intentional Camera Movement.
In his most recent body of work, 10,000 Days on the River, the images are taking Capt. Mike and the viewer on a journey. By boat and by foot. Yesterday. Today. Hundreds of years ago. Indians, painters, trappers, sailors and fisherman all pass in timeless, silent parade within the frames of these photos.
Capt. Mike has always been inspired by painters Albert Bierstadt and Asher Durand and their skill of capturing light and time of day. More recently, he has been captivated by the paintings of Aert van Der Neer, of the Dutch Golden Age of landscape painting in the 1600s, and van Der Neer’s atmospheric rivers filled with moonlight, fog, fire, trees, wind and water.
Aware his images have just been created in the moment, the timeless quality of them takes him seamlessly into the river’s past and its ageless beauty. He states, “The history and opportunity for discovery is always there. But never more so than at the early hour where the day arises and throws off its blanket of night.”
