I can still remember the day my mom took me to the green stamp store to purchase my first camera. I had seen the camera I wanted in the catalog months before and had placed all the green stamps in all the books needed to buy that camera. It was by my side almost constantly. I would take pictures of everything, most of which were unidentifiable. After awhile the cost of developing those photos caused my parents to limit my photographic journey. I was still allowed to practice my photography, but I had to limit myself to pressing that shutter button to more relevant pictures, usually family gatherings and they felt those occasions were more relevant and better use of their money.
Over the years I experimented with many forms of art; drawing, painting, quilting, sculpting, but I always gravitated back to my camera. The past several years I have experimented with various types and techniques of photography. Macro and abstract photography allows a vast variety of interpretation and can be accomplished using the most simple items and lighting. It’s still my “go to” when I need a boost of creativity.
A few years back I came across ICM and Pep Ventosa photography techniques. This opened a whole new world for me. The ability to create a photograph that can resemble a painting through the lens of a camera stirred up my creativity. The abstract art that emerges from the use of this technique opens up a variety of possibilities for the viewer to experience.
My creative embellishment journey began when purchased a canvas print of Autumn Breeze. I had fallen in love with the photo and wanted to display it. I thought the canvas texture would bring more life into it. It is a beautiful photograph, but even the canvas did not give me what I desired. This is where my past experimenting came to play. I still had many of my small canvases, paints and mediums so I began to experiment with them. I tried a variety of paints and mediums in an attempt to create texture without effecting the color on the printed canvas. After all, I didn’t want to ruin the photograph, I just wanted to add texture. After several attempts I finally found what I was looking for.
I embellished the complete canvas and held my breath hoping I didn’t just destroy it. It came out “alright”. The gel I used did as it claimed. It gave transparent texture, however my application technique was not so good. In my mind, I couldn’t stop there. I found the medium that worked as I wanted, but I needed to improve my application technique. I ordered a larger canvas print and used the medium I previously used combined with a better technique. I was ecstatic when the gel dried and exposed the final product. It created the texture and gave depth and character to the canvas photograph that I wanted.
My curiosity increased. I wanted pursued my experiment further. This time I embellished directly on a photograph. Again, I experimented with a variety of mediums and photography paper. Through many trials and tribulations, I have discovered an assortment of effects that are produced through combinations of paper and medium and application techniques. I have further learned, that even though most photographs can be embellished it doesn’t mean that every photo should be. There are some photographs in which minimizing the embellishment accomplishes the desired effect. The considerable possibilities of the ICM and Pep Ventosa techniques along with the embellishment techniques can provide a never ending supply of creative experimentation.
It is my desire to capture the essence of the moment. I Embellish some photos to enhance the experience.
