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Digital chemistry
I’m a self-taught photographer who recently moved from Boston to Western MA. The pace is different here, to say the least, and it’s good to hear what you’re all up to and to join the conversation.
So here I am living among the winter trees, and as usual stories drive my subject matter. After a hike–and an impromptu photo shoot with my daughter and an oak leaf that evening–my mind turned to Greek mythology.
A lot of my digital collage work springs from myths, fairy tales, and nature, and the recent Winter Dryad pictures are a good example. I’ve always loved the myth of Daphne who, to escape the sweaty advances of Apollo the Sun God (who won’t have the Sun God? Some won’t, apparently, and I love a free spirit), pleaded and received magical intervention. She rooted where she ran, her beautiful skin becoming bark, her hair leaves, her arms reaching branches. There she remained, still and unassailable.
This put me to thinking about nymphs and dryads, and what their winters might be like.
From a photo shoot with my daughter
When I was first teaching myself photography, I got completely absorbed in old, alternative processes. I’m a lousy technician with no patience for elaborate Zone systems (or much of anything that involves dogged thought really; I’m working on that). More often, too often, I rely on chance and experimentation. I had a blast with toners, bleach, salt–all those wonderful old toxic ways to get an effect or create a happy accident.
Ice pattern photographed on my hike
But I was really just beginning as a photographer when the digital revolution swept through, and I had to evolve with it, quickly.
I’m still a lousy technician, but every now and then as I struggle to learn (mastery is far in future) Photoshop’s layering and blending options, I stumble over something good.
Here, the “good” was a painterly effect that allowed me to play with texture and color.
But I miss those smelly old toners, and the red light, and the blessed silence of a darkroom. One day, when I can afford to, I’ll find my way back…
So glad to see you here Deb. We’re going to have fun sharing. Love hearing about your journey and the Daphne image with your daughter and that leaf is ultra compelling. Bring it on sister surreal ; )
and wink wink, my cobalt and coppe obsession is going to be a regular T and pinterest gig for me I think and your Medussa is the star!
I so appreciate the support you’ve given my snake-headed girl on Etsy, Kelly. And I’m thrilled to be here! It’s a gift to see how everyone works…
Welcome, Deb! I’ve always enjoyed the Daphne myth too. Very interesting to hear where people get their inspiration from. From looking at your work, it does seem like those old, alternative photographic processes and the experimentation would work well for your imagery. Do you have access to a dark room at all anymore?
Not right now. But I hope to again soon. I do own an enlarger… not sure it’s in working order anymore, but…
Thanks for the welcome, Emily. I’m glad to be here!
So do you have a single “final” version? or do you keep several? The digital format allows such easy access to multiple versions of the same piece, I think if I could I’d have many different versions of my paintings. But maybe being forced to make a single final choice isn’t a bad thing?
I have to be ruthless to keep from getting overwhelmed with slight variations. I keep alts for a a day or two to feel sure but soon delete them or move them off my hard drive onto a backup disc (never to be seen again usually, but they’re there in that case if I need them). Photoshop files eat up disc space like nothing and slow the computer down. But I think you’re right that rigorous choice is a good (and necessary) thing. It might be the wrong choice, but… I guess it’s like all those brush strokes underneath in a painting, the ones we don’t see in the final. Do you ever find that you do an entire painting over to correct a structural wrong or just to begin fresh?
I’ve never re-started the exact same image over again, but I do have quite a pile of half started paintings that are only ever going to get painted over. It’s very easy to just paint over any mistakes so really no need to completely restart. Sometimes I do wish I could “save” a particular version of a painting before I make any more changes, but it just doesn’t work that way.
Oh Deb, I love this. Makes me think of a friend of mine, Laura Graham…a photographer referencing fairy tales and whatnot in her work. She used to live in Boston but now is in Brooklyn. I think she has moved to digital partly but has been using a large format camera and doing some tin types…check her out at http://www.lauragrahamart.com
Honored that you made the comparison, Darla. I love Laura’s work–especially the Identity series, which looks to be albumen prints or along those lines. Great stuff (and she’s a boxer. Cool!) I would seriously love to work on tin.