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Endlessly Mesmerizing Wave Cinemagraphs Bring the Powerful Ocean to Life

By Sara Barnes on May 20, 2017

Australian photographer Ray Collins is known for his breathtaking portraits of the ocean. In a single instance, he captures the astounding power of waves just moments before their massive curls descend from their peak and crash into the water. They’re so expressive that we can imagine their movement, but we can’t get the full scope of their power. Dutch cinematographer Armand Dijcks has recently collaborated with Collins on a short film called The Infinite Now, which is composed of several cinemagraphs that bring Collin's wave photography to life.

So, what is a cinemagraph? Made popular in early 2011, it’s a still photograph-turned-video that has subtle repeating movements embedded within it. To make The Infinite Now, Dijcks started by manipulating the waves in the film editing program Adobe After Effects. Then, he used a cinemagraph app to complete the continuously-looping animation. “‘It turned out that certain images lend themselves to this technique better than others,” Dijcks told designboom. “There’s always a bit of trial and error involved. It helps to visualize in my head how the wave would move in real life, as I only have a still image to work with, and no video reference.”

Collin’s stunning visuals and Dijcks’ animations inspired other creative people to contribute to The Infinite Now. “These cinemagraphs inspired André Heuvelman from the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra to get together with pianist Jeroen van Vliet,” Dijcks wrote, “to record a very moving custom soundtrack, which I combined with a selection of the cinemagraphs.” The mesmerizing result feels so real that you can almost smell the salt water and feel the breeze.