I've chosen two images that appear side-by-side in my photostream. The first shows my fascination with post-processing and montage-making, driven by a desire to create the most painterly images possible. The second shows my fondness for making painterly images in-camera, without any post-processing beyond levels adjustments. I love playing with shallow depth-of-field and bokeh effects. Perhaps it's my lack of quality lenses, or maybe it's the fact that I paint in a very realistic style and need some relief from it, but I enjoy making soft, mysterious, dreamlike images that suggest rather than tell. Both images show my love for the frozen moment, that brief glimpse from the corner of your eye that evokes a mood or a memory.
-- from Kim Denise - (?)
-- from Kim Denise - (?)
1: How long have you been involved in photography?
I've been involved in photography for about a year and a half. I bought my DSLR so I could take better photos of my paintings, and I got so hooked on photography and Flickr that I didn't paint at all for over a year. Now I'm back at the easel again, and I am a better painter because of the lessons photography has taught me.
2: Equipment you use?
I have a Nikon D50, a wonderful Nikkor 50mm/f 1.8 lens, and an inexpensive Tamron 18-200mm/f 3.5-6.2 macro zoom. It's interesting how the equipment has affected my work. The 50mm/f 1.8, with its sharpness, fine control over DoF, and lush bokeh, encourages me to take the sorts of dreamy images I enjoy. The Tamron, with its regrettable lack of sharpness, does the same. For post-processing, I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0. Oh, and I have an old tripod of my dad's that gets a lot of use.
3: Mac or PC?
I use a PC. Not that I wouldn't love to have a Mac someday!
4: What inspires you?
I am inspired by other artists, here on Flickr and elsewhere. I am inspired by music, the radio news, chance comments and barely-seen scenes between people. I am constantly inspired by those brief flashes of time where all the sensory elements converge to create a sense of something larger than the moment. In fact, I live for those brief flashes. The connectedness and immanence and heightened awareness experienced in those fleeting seconds are really a spiritual experience for me.
5: Preferred subject matter?
The everyday. I can't walk by the dish drainer without wanting to take a photo of it, LOL. I am fascinated by the play of light on the various surfaces in my home and I often have to stop myself from getting the camera or I would be late for work! I'm a fool for reflected light and color...and of course, I can't resist photographing my cats. I am drawn to shape, color and mood more than to particular subjects (except the cats), and I especially love images that capture how a moment feels, rather than just how it looks.
.
6: Name one thing you haven't caught with the camera that you REALLY want to capture.
That thing I talk about in #4. I'll be chasing it always...but the satisfaction is in the pursuit.
7: When in doubt about your art, who do you confide in?
Flickr friends, other artist friends...but mostly, I just keep working. The skills acquired making unsuccessful images are just as important as those acquired making our most exciting and successful ones. In fact, we learn more from our mistakes.
8: Qualifications/training in anything? ie: Photoshop
I'm self-taught.
9: Plans for the future?
My focus right now is on painting. My work is selling well and I have another show to prepare for. Since I work full-time outside the home, this doesn't leave me much time for anything but the easel. I don't have a lot of aspirations for selling my photography at this point, although I certainly wouldn't mind it! At some point, I'd like to get the real Photoshop and take classes with an expert. And I definitely want some better lenses!
10: In one word, describe your photography.
Magical? I'd love it if that word could really describe my photography. It's more of a goal than an actuality at this point.
No comments:
Post a Comment