Athlete Running 2

At fifty years old, Eadweard Muybridge sported an athletic physique, and it is therefore unsurprising that he featured in many of his own photographic studies. Athlete Running 2 (1881) presents a bearded gentleman sprinting at full speed, lending his body to the study of human locomotion. The images impress through the passion of the performer, whose stride resembles that of an elite competitor at the peak of his prowess, striving to push the limits of human ability. Here, Muybridge seemed to allude to the idea that his discoveries extended photography beyond its boundaries, transforming stillness into motion. It is a remarkable sensation to watch these images blossom within a field still unaware of the potential of the fruits it brings forth.