Yesterday felt like a really long day, for some reason. I decided last night before going to bed that I was “taking the day off” on Friday. I’d sleep in, read a book in bed perhaps, eat a late breakfast, and do whatever the heck I wanted.
As it turns out, all I really needed was some play time. And for me, play time often involves my camera and a willing subject. The irises showed up again this morning, so I snipped one off and let it float in the little puddle of dirty water that is the backyard birdbath right now. I played with two lenses (35mm and 55mm), with and without the macro attachment. I probably took 80 photos in 10 minutes, most of them trying to get something in focus with the macro attachment. In retrospect, using the tripod might have helped.
Then I loaded what I had into Lightroom, my digital playground, and started editing. Instead of moaning that things weren’t quite focused, or that a petal had floated out of view, I worked with what I had.
Instead of going for realistic, I decided to push myself to go in the opposite direction. I thought of all the paintings and writings of Georgia O’Keeffe I have seen and read in the last few years, and how she created what she wanted, without worrying if people liked it or not. So I went there.
I love this image, even if no one else on earth does. It captures what I wanted of the iris, the parts that have always intrigued me.
What have you done during the last few weeks for your creative spirit? You might want to try some play time!
Nothing is less real than realism. Details are confusing. It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis, that we get at the real meaning of things.
I love this image Annie. The patterns, the flow, the color, the softness all give it a real artistic flair and feeling.
Thanks, Elle! Try it, it’s pretty fun to really get radical with images!
Very lovely result. Soft and appealing. And you had fun! This is encouraging me to try something similar.