Snails are so slow they’ve become a metaphor for lack of speed. “At a snail’s pace”, “snail mail”—none of these are complimentary. That’s what makes Manuel Cafini‘s shot of a snail zooming along in an isolated black abyss so profoundly perplexing:
“Fastest Lap: 1 hour 32 minutes 34 seconds”, by Manuel Cafini. (Via Imgur.)
It’s a bit of a mystery how the enigmatic Cafini shot this one. It’s possibly a double-exposure, one very long and one a quick flash-lit finale. He’s known for long exposures and dramatic overlays, which he often uses to emphasize dancers and athletes in ways that look magically light painted.
“In my shoots I have always wanted to render the impression of movement. I have tried panning and following the rotation of the subject, using burst zooms so to make static what’s dynamic and vice versa, moving horizontally the camera while the subject is static or moving it in the opposite direction of the subject’s.”
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Since I know snails are slow, this image doesn’t make me think it’s moving fast. To me, it’s easier to imagine that dried up and wind is blowing it away.