Saturday, January 23, 2010

Art & Inspiration

I love photography. Love probably isn't even a strong enough word for how I feel about what I do. Not only is it a friend to me, it's also a challenge. While I adore photographing people and capturing those special moments that slip by so easily, I also have a passion for still life.

One of the biggest challenges with still life is that it does not have a personality. There are no smiles or quirky expressions; it just sits there waiting for you to find and extract it's natural beauty. Lighting is just as key as mood. That's my biggest thing, I think, with doing still life: I try to express a mood. I've spent quite a bit of time lately on several ongoing project series. I'm trying my "hand" with a wide variety of textures. Food is one of the subjects that has really captured my eye lately. I was told recently that if you can master lighting and photographing food, you can light and photograph anything. Naturally, I took that as a personal challenge to figure out the secret to that aspect of photography.


I've also had a fantastic time learning how to photograph glass. Lemme tell you that it's not as simple as it looks. Glass is difficult to focus. It has flaws that are otherwise hidden until put in front of a macro lens. What looks smooth and clear to the naked eye is revealed to be pitted and marbled. I find these discoveries to be breathtaking. It thrills me to realize that each piece has a hidden map of creases and inconsistencies that make it all the more pertinent to me.


And how could I resist creating my own version of a classic Andy Warhol painting? I couldn't. ^_-

All of my art pieces are personal in that I take inspiration from them. I can only hope that you are able to do the same. For a better look at more of the photo art that I've created, please click on any of the posted pictures. They will take you to the Art & Inspiration album of our fan page. Thank you for allowing me to share a piece of myself with you.