My Experimental Photography...

Today, I emailed a wonderful photographer, Dorothy Gantenbein, who lives in San Francisco. I discovered her work a short time ago and was smitten with her techniques, her oh-so-fresh style, and her creativity. Dorothy's quietly beautiful work resonates with me and helped me realize that photography doesn't have to follow anyone's formulas. She takes the type of photos I dream of taking. I haven't thought that about anyone's work for a long, long, long time. Check through her archives...she has more brilliant ideas than you can shake a stick at!

I emailed Dorothy about Orton images (which she probably already knows). An Orton is a photography technique that gives impressionistic, soft images. For some reason, her ethereal montages and her mention of watercolour reminded me of Ortons again. Ortons can be just slightly soft or really softened to give a more painterly quality.

So I dug through my archives and found a photo I took and tried to salvage a while ago. Using the original photo, I had produced an Orton image in Photoshop (in which I am utterly incompetent) using directions from another photographer. Attached below are the original photo, the Orton image, and a coloured pencil sketch I produced. These techniques may be amateur to some, but for me, I was spell-bound with what one can produce from a rather plain photo.

The original photo of a dried flower and the softer Orton image...(touched up)












And finally, a coloured pencil botanical sketch which I've always loved...














After the house hunting is done, I sorely need to get back to my photography. Thanks to Dorothy and the other intrepid photographers who publish their lovely work and techniques for others to appreciate. Despite headaches and my often lacklustre existence because of them, I just may have found my muse again!

(I've also signed up for a pottery class in September - so with house hunting and that, it promises to be a physically exhausting but hopefully transformative fall!)