As a photographer, I'm used to capturing reality by
photographing what is. I may present it
from a different perspective through my choices of composition, exposure, lens,
etc., but I'm still basically portraying what is.
I also want to create new realities by modifying what
is. I prefer to do this "in
camera" rather than using Photoshop so I recently tried a technique I had known about but never used; taking multiple exposures on the same image. The idea is to slightly move the camera between
exposures to make the subject less defined, thus creating an image that is more
impressionistic or abstract. The number
of exposures, up to 10 on my camera, and the direction and degree of movement
determine the results.
To be honest, I saw the technique in Tony Sweet's Fine
Art Nature Photography: Advanced Techniques and the Creative Process, a
book that Lee had bought me some time ago when I guess I wasn't quite ready for
it. But when I looked at it again
recently, I knew it was something I had to try.
The first photo is day lilies in my front yard. The second is my next door neighbor's back
yard. Both have five exposures on the
same image. Lightroom was used to crop
and modify color balance, which I did to focus the viewer's attention on the
shapes and colors by making the subject less obvious. I'm going to have to do more of this!
