Saturday after completing a computer operating system update and an update to my Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom applications, I decided to try some experiments with my scanner.
A scanner is a kind of camera if you think about it. You can use it to create images of flowers and other objects as well as copying photographs and documents. The scanner’s very shallow depth of field fascinates me. Having a shallow depth of field means that the part of the object being scanned that is right on the scanner’s surface is shown with great detail and everything else is blurry. The further away from the surface of the scanner something is, the more blurry it looks.
Creative Experiments
I began by scanning a small bunch of dried hydrangea flowers but found the flowers looked pretty uninteresting alone against the scanner cover’s grayish white color. Because it was the only dark thing I was able to quickly find in my office, I decided to place a black and white print of floating upside-down leaves on top of the dried flowers on the scanner. I wanted the dark background of the dark photo in the scan. I wondered how the photograph would show up behind the dried flowers given the shallow depth of field and the fact that I didn’t want to smash the flowers flat.
It was interesting to see and I decided to play a bit with the image the scanner created.
First I tried a black and white version. Then I decided to explore a new kind of filters (neural filters) that just became available in my updated Photoshop application. The image you see at the top of this post is one of the results of my experiments.
Experiments are one way that I explore how I want to express myself through my photography. In the beginning it feels like play and exploration but sometimes it leads to breakthroughs. When that happens I go deeper with the technique or to spend time growing and perfecting those skills.
After I closed my photography business at the end of 2020, and I reviewed my work from the year I realized that I wanted to dig deeper into a single idea or subject in 2021. I hope to imagine and choose one or two projects to focus on during the new year. It is taking me awhile to think about what projects I want to work on. So one of the things that I’m doing to help me find a new direction is
Studying and exploring
I’ve begun reading a book called, Louder Than Words: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice by Todd Henry. In the book Henry describes four phases of artistic growth—discovery, emulation, divergence, and crisis. Henry suggests that an individual will cycle through these four phases again and again in their life if they decide to keep growing and learning. And he has great questions to guide your journey through the four phases.
“Everybody imitates before they can innovate.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
These phases ring true for me in my creative journey. And they fit with my ideas about choosing one or two projects to focus on during the year. Just like a spiral we cycle through the same questions (phases) over and over again, each time going to a deeper level if we continue to seek and explore. I think I’m in the discovery phase of the journey again. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of Louder Than Words to help me continue to excavate and express my unique point of view.
Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” — Jon Acuff
Perhaps you don’t care about growing your skills, you just want to play and enjoy. Go for it! Playing is one of the best ways of discovery and learning. And focusing on joy rather than results also helps keep you learning and growing.
“Our job in this life is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.”
― The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
If you’re struggling to express yourself or feeling stuck or stymied in your creative journey, you may want to check out what others write about the creative process. From what I’ve read so far, I highly recommend Louder Than Words by Todd Henry. I also recommend Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
I’ll end today with one of my favorite quotes from Elizabeth Gilbert:
“Be the weirdo who dares to enjoy.”
― Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear
May you walk in beauty.
A scanned dried up amaryllis flower which I edited with the new Photoshop neural filters.
Black and White version of hydrangea flower/photo scan
An experiment with shallow depth of field (using a camera not the scanner) and darkness
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