I bought some calla lilies to photograph last week even though (or perhaps because) my previous efforts at photographing calla lilies were less successful than I had envisioned.
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” ― Jack London
Finding Inspiration
This time I spent time looking at Georgia O’Keeffe’s calla lily paintings as inspiration. In her painting shown below I love the curve of the stem combined with the partial leaf behind the stem. I love the curves in the background that echo the curves of the flower and the simplicity of the image.
Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Calla Lily Turned Away”
My setup for the shots in my dining room studio, was done on a buffet that gets indirect light from two windows. It’s my favorite place to use for photographing still life scenes and flowers. I usually use a large white cardboard covered with parchment paper as a backdrop and base for my photos. I cut the parchment paper long enough so that it drapes over a white cloth napkin on the top of the buffet so that there is no stark break in color between backdrop and the surface underneath.
Another Georia O’Keeffe calla lily favorite
I varied my usual setup by adding a lovely piece of organza fabric I had recently picked up as a prop at a local fabric store. I love the drape of the organza along with the translucence and glow when it reflects light.
My photo setup
Finding the inspiration (in this case paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe) and making the photograph is just the first part of the creative process. For me, working with the photo in Lightroom, Photoshop, and Perfect Effects 8 is a big part of my process.
I use Lightroom to adjust exposure, color balance, clarity, and saturation as well as for cropping and removing any distracting spots. For other effects like high-key treatments, bringing out texture and details, and adding selective blur, I use Perfect Effects 8, and for adding texture to the background or cloning out bigger areas, Photoshop is my tool of choice. Learning to use these tools effectively and continuing to push myself to learn more and try more experiments with them helps me create photographs that express my vision.
“There are, it seems, two muses: the Muse of Inspiration, who gives us inarticulate visions and desires, and the Muse of Realization, who returns again and again to say “It is yet more difficult than you thought.” This is the muse of form. It may be then that form serves us best when it works as an obstruction, to baffle us and deflect our intended course. It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey. The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.”
― Wendell Berry
The images I made last week come closer to the vision in my mind’s eye than previous calla lily photos I have made, but still leave room for me to reach even further in exploring their exquisite form and beauty.
Who or what inspires your creative journey? And what tools do you use to create what you envision?
May you walk in beauty.
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