44/365- Leaf Study 5 & 6- Of Yellow Leaves and Gossamer

“I sit beside the fire and think
Of all that I have seen
Of meadow flowers and butterflies
In summers that have been

Of yellow leaves and gossamer
In autumns that there were
With morning mist and silver sun
And wind upon my hair

I sit beside the fire and think
Of how the world will be
When winter comes without a spring
That I shall ever see"

― J.R.R. Tolkien; Excerpt from Lord of the Rings

A few weeks back, while in Arizona, I had the opportunity to see an exhibit of photography by Wynn Bullock at the Center for Creative Photography at The University of Arizona. Walking into the gallery I was overwhelmed by the fascinating collection of work by this pioneer in creative photography. As I walked from photograph to photograph, my brain filled with so many ideas and concepts of projects for my future. So much so that when I left I had a headache. True story. I was so mad I didn't have a notepad to write down the torrent of ideas and creativity that I felt flowing in that moment.

Shooting in film, Bullock was a pioneer in using various techniques to add an otherworldly feel to his photographs.  He used methods such as shooting through many layers of colored glass to create abstract color images. He also used a method by which he would expose the negative to various temperature changes to cause wrinkling and crinkling in the negative that then translated into a textured print upon processing. He also was a master of manipulating perspective and long exposure photography to create an otherworldly feel to common scenes. In addition, he would experiment using a negative overlaid with a positive image, blending them together to create a completely new scene. He was also a master of black and white photography.  Truly, this man is an inspiration. Mind-blowing!

As I walked through the exhibit, I became obsessed with figuring out how I could apply some of the techniques he used in today's modern digital photography and processing. While not exactly true to Bullock form, this second image was a nod to him as I experimented with the processing of this leaf. Inspired by his use of inverting (or using negatives), I decided to process this leaf two different ways, overlaying the inverted color scheme over the original in a multiplied layer. I then combined the two different layers, mirrored each other, back into a single image.  My goal is not to replicate his work; no one can replace his genius.  My goal was to take the creativity of experimentation he inspired within me and play with my images to create a new reality like he did. My goal is to get out of my box. Experiment. Try new things...even if they aren't quite "me." One of my favorite quotes from him is

"Searching is everything - going beyond what you know. And the test of the search is really in the things themselves, the things you seek to understand. What is important is not what you think about them, but how they enlarge you." -Wynn Bullock LOVE this quote...what is important is not what you think about them (the things you seek to understand), but how they enlarge you...HOW THEY ENLARGE you.  LOVE IT.   Have a beautiful day...TGIF. xo