Every now and then, a conceptual idea takes over me completely and then I spend hours and hours (okay--days) fussing over every single detail.
These conceptual ideas that set up camp in my mind, also termed "composites" in the photographic world, are when several pictures are combined to form a new one. I am drawn to certain elements in this picture, in that one, and in this one, and then I simply start experimenting to create something new.
It's a mighty big gamble, but when I'm in the mood to roll the dice doing this, it can be quite rewarding. Some just don't work and they are scrapped after hours and hours of tinkering.
I've been asked if I would ever record how I make an artwork from beginning to end. Maybe I'm still to insecure to do that, but maybe some day.
For now, I figured it might be worthwhile to show you some steps since I get the question a lot.
This is an artwork called ETERNITY that does reflect the image that lived in my head for a very long time.
When I had a temporary obssession about capturing the Mexican Pier, I had an image that just didn't quite cut it because of the severe angle I used.
It was intriguing to see the waves off to the side, but just didn't cut it.
I was drawn to the symmetry of the waves and their angle to the shoreline.
I later realized that it was actually a planned panoramic image and when I found it's counterparts I could manually stitch it together digitally.
It was kind of blah though, so i had to make it interesting.
Despite having hundreds of thousands of images in my digital library, I have a mental index of some interesting elements that would serve as parts to the whole, since the images themselves could not stand by themselves.
If any of you are familiar with video prodution, I have "B Roll" and I take them intentionally because I know they may complete a future art puzzle. The term is used to describe extraneous shots and video footage in case any wholes need to be filled in, especially for news broadcasts when voiceovers are used.
So, I went to my mental index and pulled out an image I took of the sky while driving one day that had beautiful spears of light.
I knew this amazing sky would come in handy some day. I love how the sun is just peeking out behind the clouds.
It was coming together rather nicely and each layer was shaped to align with the other like a big jigsaw puzzle.
The image felt quite cold and a little too dark. Now came the most important part.
Last came the color toning. This isn't always a step in the process, but I knew color was going to be important on this image.
This color toning phase can sometimes be like trudging through a long, muddy, obstacle pit.
The image was quite surreal and dramatic already, so it felt natural for me to tone it down a bit with soothing tones. I wanted the scene to be undeniably warm, but I couldn't resist the beautiful cool color of the water.
I also added some flying birds to give it some depth.
It was time to no longer nit-pick it to death. It was tie to be satisfied with the outcome. It was finally time to call it complete, and honestly, this can be the hardest part for a perfectionist.
I just tell myself there's so much more art to be made.
The composition, light, and color give you a sense of ETERNITY. At least that is my hope.
