I've been experimenting lately, searching for a slightly different slant, and I'm liking how these latest Oregon coast images are looking. They've got depth and softness, texture, and subtle colors. As a result, I'm looking at a LOT of my images, seeing which ones might lend themselves to this technique.
And the technique? Ha! I thought maybe I had something locked in, a series of steps that would apply to each image I selected. But nope, each one requires a different set of layers, background images, and bits of software. And, really, that's a good thing because it keeps me interested, keeps me experimenting, and makes creating these pictures a joy rather than becoming a bore.
Art seems to be a series of problems to be solved, and once the problem is solved, then what? Well, we move on to the next problem, don't we? This ain't no assembly line. This ain't no push a button and voila! it's done.
A stock photographer (and a successful one) once commented that he wished he could just put subjects on a conveyor belt, shoot them as they went by, and then submit them to his stock agency. I find his photography mediocre, uninspired, and dull. But, because he's prolific and because he's competently shooting things that other people aren't, he's doing remarkably well. Doing well shooting snapshots. On his way to the bank...
What's my point? I'm not sure, except to say that it's the newness, the experimentation, the problem-solving that keeps me interested in creating more work, not to mention the sheer delight of being somewhere, especially somewhere new, camera in hand, just looking, looking, looking, exploring, wandering. The thought of "conveyor belt" photography makes me shudder.
Hope you enjoy seeing what I'm doing. (Although a friend commented that there was something sort of "Kinkade" about this look that gave me pause!) So, until I feel the need to begin solving other problems, these sorts of images will continue for awhile. Fair warning!
©Carol Leigh
