flickr friends: winnie’s human

there are many pretty nature images out there, but they don’t sweep me off my feet like the ones in the simply stunning collection of pam ullman. i am easily, willingly, magically transported to a soft, sensual place when i look at these photos. i love the thoughtful compositions, the thorough attention to detail and the dreamy energy they possess, and her skillful techniques post production are really the cherry on the cake. pam leads us gently by the hand on a journey through her lens to fields, forest and sky. and here today, as it turns out, she leads us on a compelling journey through her mind too…

q: where do you live, and where do you create your collection?
a: my husband and i live in central pennsylvania, about 50 miles west of philadelphia, and just on the edge of pennsylvania dutch country. it’s fairly rural, with wet autumns, short springs, sweltering summers, and wicked winters. we escape these extremes at the jersey shore, and in the south carolina lowcountry, my two favorite places to photograph.

q: what first drew you to photography? Do you have a background in art?
a: (laughs) my path to photography was a pretty crooked one. i didn’t pick up a camera in a serious way until the summer of 2006. i’m a recovering lawyer, but i’ve always had a creative streak. i gave up lawyering in 2000 to pursue a passion for creative writing. i published literary short stories and essays in the years after that, and decided to pursue an MFA. when i was accepted into programs for both fiction and non-fiction, i found myself unable to commit to either. i was paralyzed with indecision when september 11 happened. in the aftermath of that, i published one more story and then decided to go back to work. the job was emotionally draining and i didn’t have the energy to write. i can’t say for sure what compelled me to pick up my camera, but i think that, instinctively, i was looking to replace one creative outlet with another.

i’d always been a casual photographer, but didn’t know the first thing about photography as art. my husband bought me a DSLR, and for about a year, i took on-line courses at betterphoto.com, beginning with a class on how to use my camera. (laughs) i took a fairly intellectual approach to learning: i read books about photography and photographers, and for a long time, just studied other peoples’ images, trying to decipher what the best work, in all its varied forms, seemed to have in common.

ultimately, i realized that photography, like many other things in life, is best learned by doing. explore, experiment, edit. there is no one way to see and shoot something. you bring who you are to every image; it’s the ultimate in self-expression. i love the immediacy of it. and the sense of community i’ve found in supportive environments like flickr. most of all, i love that in photography, there is always something to learn. and always something to shoot!

q: without giving away any secrets of course, can you tell us a little bit about your technique?
a: i assume you’re referring to my use of textures to render some images “painterly.” this is actually something quite new for me, and is inspired by the work of some of my flickr friends, like linda plaisted, michael ticcino, and pamela viola, photographers who trained in painting and other visual arts. they’re all very different, but they share a remarkable talent for composition that just bowls me over. another photographer who similarly inspires me is jody miller. she rarely uses textures, but the composition of her landscapes, indeed, all of her work, is decidedly painterly.

i resisted photoshop for more than a year, but when i layered in my first texture, i was hooked. when i was very young, i enjoyed making mixed media collages, and making textures images really resonates with me. it’s highly creative, and giddy fun. i don’t have a specific methodology. i’m a bit like a mad scientist, or julia child on LSD. (ed. note: this is the quote of the week.) i usually make three or four copies of an image and work them all very differently until i see something I like. i play with modes and the opacity slider quite a bit. and when i’m going for something more illustrative than realistic, i like to cross-process. as in creative writing, sometimes the creation of an image is nearly effortless. other times, it takes hours to write the photographer’s version of a single paragraph. and i never hesitate, as we writers like to say, to “kill my darlings.” it’s painful to hit the delete button after hours of effort, but i do it.

a few good and bad things i’ve learned about the process: (1) textures won’t make a bad photograph any better; (2) not every image lends itself to textures; (3) it’s easy to take textures too far; (4) textures free you up to shoot on days with bad light, and (5) they hide sensor dust. (laughs)

a word to the wise: textured images do not always print the way they look on a computer screen. i never add anything to my website until i make a print that i’d be happy to hang on my own wall. a successful print always feels like a lovely surprise.

q: what is it about nature photographs that appeals to you most?
a: originally, i thought i would concentrate on street photography. watching life through the viewfinder felt very much like the kind of observing i’d been doing as a writer, and really, for all of my life. Walking the streets, i saw a story in every image; it just felt so natural. and i’m a huge fan of black and white photography, so i liked that about the genre. but with the camera to my eye, i felt exposed, and couldn’t overcome what felt to me like an invasion of privacy. i’m a very approachable person, and from time to time, had the pleasure of shooting with my subjects’ permission. but it still didn’t feel quite right, and before i knew it, i was standing more and more often in a field of wildflowers. (laughs) it was such a relief.

i’m a country girl at heart. i’m a person for whom silence is music. nature is a very meditative environment for me. i think i photograph nature because it’s where i’m happiest.

q: what inspires your creativity? do you see yourself with a camera in your hands, say, 10 or 20 years from now?
a: it doesn’t take much to inspire me; that feeling of wanting to “make something” is always inside of me. first and foremost, i’m inspired by the light. i’ll shoot an old shoe in the road if it has great light on it. i’m inspired by beauty in the little things. by sunrises and sunsets. by small moments and grand gestures. by photographers who take the art to different places and new heights.

i can’t imagine growing old without my camera. it’s really become a part of who i am.

see much more on pam’s flickr stream, and purchase your favorite pieces of her collection on her very beautiful website.

thank you pam! (and many thanks to rachel for her great tip!)

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flickr friends: la trollette

there is more than one a gem of an artist photographer in the vast sea that is flickr, and when i find them, i want you to see them too. today, we kick off this regular series with some lovely french style from rachel osowiecki, aka la_trollette. whether rachel’s subjects are people, animals, places or plants, her photos are striking, vivid and balanced - and tell some beautiful stories. turns out rachel has a few tales to tell as well…

q: where is your hometown?
a: i have lived in paris for 17 years now. my pictures are mostly taken from our windows, on our parisian balcony, in the public gardens and sometimes in the streets during public events or during concerts. when my husband and i visit our family, i can shoot in the east or the south of france. of course we always travel with our complete equipment, photography bags are always packed first!

q: how did you get into photography?
a: i think i can say that love get me into photography. my husband is an amateur self-taught photographer. in the beginning of our relationship, he took me as his model. but i quickly wanted to know how this thing works on the other side of the camera. fred taught me everything he knew about photography, composition, DOF, etc… on his olympus OM-1 reflex camera. this camera was completely manual and was a very good way to understand technique. fred quickly offered me my own camera, a semi-automatic minolta x300s.

a few years ago, we had a sort of black out. fred and i mostly did black and white photography, as fred developed the films in our tiny parisian bathroom. photography never was a cheap hobby but as digital snapshot cameras were getting affordable, silver-based photography became really expensive and difficult and we bought a sony cybershot. we mostly took pictures during friends and family events with a digital snapshot camera. and as i had some sad family events to manage, i almost abandoned practicing.

two years ago, as i’m a little lazy and had enough to mail the same things to each of my friends, i started to write a blog. i talked about what i saw or what i read, who visited us, where fred and i went for the weekend… a simple regular “that’s my lil’ life” blog! as i read many other blogs, i quickly thought it would be cool to illustrate some of my articles with pictures, and why not my own pictures? i again listened carefully to my dear husband when he gave me some very wise hints to get better pictures. that’s how i got back into photography. i shoot and/or process on photoshop every day or so since.

q: what do you enjoy most about it?
a: as a child, i secretly wanted to be a painter and a pianist. the thing is i’m not only a little lazy but i’m also very impatient. that’s not really compatible with the hours you need to learn painting and drawing or to practice piano. i tried of course but i didn’t try enough to be decent. maybe later, when i’m old enough to be less impatient ;o)

but as i can quickly be a decent musician by singing in a choir, i can quickly express what i want to with photography. photography is also a good way for me to be connected to the world and at the same time to have some distance with it.

what i really enjoy about photography is that i cannot control everything. i learn to give up with details, i learn to wait till the conditions are good enough so i must not give up with details… i learn to take my time as well as i learn to be very reactive. but i’ll never be able to control everything and i find it very comforting: photography remains bigger than me, something magic.

q: what you are doing when you are not taking pictures?
a: processing pictures on photoshop, publishing pictures on my blog, reading blogs, a little drawing, writing to best friend, singing in a choir, doing the dishes, fixing dinner, buying food, ironing (not very often, i confess!), going to the museum, having lunch with friends, shopping, sewing some little things and send them to friends and, the most important thing: petting my lovely husband and my big fat grouchy cat. life is a full time job.

q: if you could shoot photographs anywhere in the world, where would it be?
a: that’s a very difficult question… location is important of course and some day i hope i can go to japan, iceland or canada or go back to new york and new zealand. but what i really need is time to see these places live during seasons, time to see all the little things, all the details, time to meet people, time to capture the fleeting, time to live for the moment. i’m blessed, i can do all that right here, right now, everywhere i am.

see rachel’s flickr stream here, and her blog over here.

thank you rachel!

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vintage doll portraits by gigi on flickr

i want to invite you guys to have a look at the ongoing series of vintage doll and figurine portraits i’m currently working on. i photograph the dolls in their “natural habitat” at thrift and antique shops and do not pose them. sometimes the results are more surprising than i think they’ll be.

i am having a really good time with this collection, and perhaps i should mention that this post is sort of a hint about my big creative endeavor? more details to come, soon…

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michele maule mixed media: miniview

i think i have mentioned before that my father in law has this awesome collection of old typewriters? they’re all black, which is perfect and fine of course, but just a tad heavy to be filling my eyes and mind, what with all the summery things that are pouring into my head at warp speed right now. the old brightly colored ones are perfect in a different way, a seasonal way, a now way, which is why i am sooo attracted to the most excellent artwork of michele maule. i love her free-spirited interpretation of these utilitarian objects, with their foxy colors and soft curves. there is some big love behind these pieces, you can just tell. and her other work, which includes original encaustic paintings, illustrations and screenprints, is a nice crusty contrast to those colorful jammy typewriters. that’s right, i said jammy. the point is, there’s all different kinds of plenty for people to enjoy in her prolific collection, and with all that said, wouldn’t you like to know just a little more about the brains behind the operation? me too!

q: where do you live and where do you make your collection?
a: i live in pontiac, michigan, a forgotten suburb of detroit. i mostly work in my house. i recently converted my living room into a work space, and there is also a small space in my bedroom where i work.

q: what inspires you to create?
a: i find inspiration in everyday objects. i love seeing the personalities that things like chairs, typewriters, spools of thread, and sewing machines take on. every time i draw one of these objects, it seems to take on a life of its own. each one has their own character, and i really enjoy seeing that.

i also find a lot of inspiration in nature, and in illustrated science books. things like the anatomy of flowers and our skeletal system really interest me.

q: what did you think you would grow up to be when you were a little kid?
a: well, i remember the first thing/person i wanted to be when i grew up was wonder woman. i thought she was rad. i even wore these blue rubber bands on my wrists for weeks and weeks. later, i knew that i wanted to do something that would let me be creative. i didn’t know what exactly, and i don’t think i really figured that out until my junior year of college!

q: can we go anywhere to see your work in person?
a: yes you can!! i currently have work in the following galleries and boutiques: fact and fancy in brooklyn, 323 east gallery in royal oak, mi and the ddp gallery in fayetteville, ar.

see more of michele’s terrific artwork on her website, check out her flickr stream, purchase these pieces at her etsy shop, and be sure to stop by and say hi on her blog too!

thank you michele!

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gastón liberto art

i stumbled across the wonderfully surreal work of argentina born, barcelona-based artist gastón liberto, after reading about the duduá shop at bloesem. gastón is inspired by circus and carnival imagery, as well as the people, culture and chaos of the post modern society surrounding him. i love the weird and innocent energy the pieces give off.

see more of gastón’s work on his flickr stream, purchase his available print (top photo) at duduá and say hello to him (in spanish!) on his blog.

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heli sengezer paintings and mini art

say yes to cuteness. the warmer weather will be coming and as a reminder if i had my way, i would line a whole hallway with these fun summer dress acrylic and embroidery paintings from finland born, istanbul-based artist heli sengezer. i love her choice of colors and patterns and the carefree breezy feeling i get when i look at them.

of course i am assuming you have seen her other funny handicrafts like this jewelry and mini wall art, right? i have seen them around, but i had not seen her paintings.

you can go say hello to heli on her blog. purchase the accessories at her etsy shop, view more work on her flickr stream and purchase these works at her dawanda shop.

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bento box photography by sakurako kitsa

extraordinarily executed bento box food photography by sakurako kitsa. i so admire the fabulous and humorous precision here.

please! you must go look at her collection (you must)! thank you.

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zach kowalczyk photography

i could die happy drowning in flickr. here’s an interesting collection of foods that take the shape of their containers, from indiana university bfa student zach kowalczyk.

see the full collection here and check out zach’s website too (i love his backyard summer series!).

via kottke

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