Ce n'est pas une photo (This is not a photo)
Sometimes the light hits just right, and magic happens. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours up Tumwater canyon capturing photos. The weather was messy (which is perfect for landscape photography) and the clouds clung to the hillsides in an otherworldly way. I couldn't have asked for better conditions. Cold. Dreary. Wet. Perfect. 😂
Like I do after every photoshoot, I go back to my studio and download the photos from the day. After reviewing, about 90% of them are garbage, and that's to be expected. The last 10% have potential, but out of those very few make it in front of you, the viewer/patron/friend/family member. During the process of editing something happens that I can't explain unless you've been in the same position, there is this tapping into energy that exists only for the expression of art.
I am a painter, not of oil or acrylic, but of light. I capture light in a moment (or a few moments time) then paint with light during the editing process. I utilize the tools of light and color manipulation to recreate the scene I originally shot into a vision I either already had in mind or that comes out as I edit. I don't use AI (Artificial Intelligence) to replace elements, but do use it to reduce noise or sharpen a blurry image when needed (hey, we can only do so much to keep our cameras stable in windy conditions or capture a shot in low light). Sometimes the use of these tools can create a painterly effect. The interesting thing about this particular image is that I didn't have to use much of those AI tools. Just the right strokes in the right places to make the happy little trees stand out a bit more. Nature provided me with rain and snow, which in the image produced the visual effect of brushstrokes without the use of AI technology!
René Magritte was a surrealist painter who used images to express himself in often whimsical, if not ironic or mentally challenging ways. Ceci n'est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe) was one such painting as part of the Treachery of Images collection. The title (This is not a pipe) was written below a painted image of a smoking pipe. It was a form of cognitive dissonance in that it was a pipe (at least a visual representation of one), but not actually one you could hold and use. Cheeky.
My artwork carries with it a level of whimsy and also emotion. I hope to invoke thought or wonder with my images. Ce n'est pas une photo (This is not a photo) is a particular piece of work that I hope people see and wonder, “Is this a photo or painting?”. You may not see its effect on a small device, so I implore you to view it on a larger screen at some point, or perhaps you'll be lucky enough to see it printed some day. It may be more comparable to a Hudson River School painting rather than a Surrealist movement painting like Magriette’s, but the idea is still the same. This is indeed a photo and also a Painting (of light), but most importantly, it is a 100% REAL moment in time that will never be reproduced.
Merci d'avoir lu mon blog!
