Lost and Found
"Lost and Found" was a journey to create, but the real journey is the fascinating story of the trailer itself.
The trailer is actually a rare cultural treasure: built in 1958, it's the smallest Airstream ever constructed, at just 10 feet across with a 6'3" head clearance. Only one was made - a prototype that never went into production, but airstream founder Wally Byam loved it and personally named it Der Kleine Prinz (The Little Prince). He and his wife Stella even took it out together a few times.
The full story seems lost to history but the little trailer vanished at some point and was eventually forgotten by even the most hard core Airstream enthusiasts. It was eventually discovered in the corner of a dusty used car showroom and what follows is something worthy of a Cinderella story.
At the time, vintage Airstream aficionados believed that the smallest Airstream ever made was the Cruisette, built in 1951 and 52, and measuring 15 feet. In 2004 at a Tin Can Tourists rally (a vintage trailer and camper club), an Airstream collector turned up with a tiny silver trailer in tow. The collection of trailer enthusiasts gawked at this little lost gem. No one had ever even heard of The Little Prince! It earned instant legendary status, coming out in style - immaculate after all these years, despite the neglect - and smashing the record as the world's smallest airstream.
The owner, collector Ken Faber, received offers to buy it from as far away as Japan but he had a deep desire to protect it and saw himself as its guardian. After treasuring it for years, he eventually donated it to the RV Museum in Elkhart, Indiana.
I found the trailer while researching small airstreams for a photo I had in mind. I visited the museum and saw the tiny thing, with its distinctive polished aluminum and rounded curves that have made Airstream so famous. Its tiny size was small enough that if I made huge photo prints of, say, a beautiful landscape, I could place them in front and photograph the reflections.
After getting the generous cooperation of the museum I gave myself a month to prepare. I created three giant images for the reflections: three 4X7 foot prints, of the sky, the range and the grassy foreground. I also wanted to add a subtle narrative so when planning the shot I asked myself, who's in the trailer. I decided it would be a young couple on their first camper adventure. They would definitely put up patio lanterns and of course they'd have a fire, and so these were featured in the giant prints I made. I also wanted the trailer to be welcoming and so I left the door ajar. In fact I brought a lamp and a 200 watt incandescent bulb, which emits a beautiful warm light, and placed them inside. I wanted the trailer to glow from within.
I brought along my studio lighting gear and enough equipment to off-set all foreseeable problems, since I had never shot a photo this way before. But then of course, there are the unforeseeable problems...
When I first placed one of the 4X7 foot prints in front of the trailer, I groaned. It looked like a postage stamp. Apparently the curve of the trailer gave new meaning to the phrase, Objects in Mirror are Closer than they Appear.
This led to a moment of panic, but the solution was to cut one of the prints in half and then placing it much closer to the trailer than I had planned. This worked out but it meant the shoot would take much longer. I have to give a huge thanks to museum manager, Jose Rodriguez who let me and Nikki work two hours past closing!
In the end I was just honored to have given this Lilliputian legend another chapter in its unlikely history.
"In none of his photos does Nuez exploit the obvious"
Montreal Gazette
"Seductive ... Nuez's photos do not leave one indifferent"
Ciel Variable - Contemporary Photography magazine
Light Paintings series
I sometimes fantasize that with the snap of a finger, I can escape reality ... in a moment, be transported to a dream world free of life's demands, a child's playground where magic exists and all is right with the world.My Light Paintings are that portal. Through them I can transcend reality and escape into these beautiful, vibrant yet peaceful realms.
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Although there is some digital manipulation in this series, the unusual lighting and surreal quality in the Light Painting series is achieved by using colored lights during long exposures. They are not digital effects.
