Sally D’s Mobile Photography Challenge: Macro (and Summer Flowers)

08 August 2016

Lens:

I. Taken in Camera+ and edited in Snapseed:

1. Native Hibiscus in Morning Light; Copyright © 2016 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

II. Each photograph taken in Camera+ and edited in Snapseed, Polamatic and combined using Pixlr:

1. Native Hibiscus, Hydrangea and Geranium Photomontage; Copyright © 2016 Sally W. Donatello All Rights Reserved

Let me know which you prefer. Click on image to enlarge, which takes you to another page. If you decide to leave a comment, please return to this page.

Pens:

Please allow me to indulge my latest diversion where I am deeply immersed in the exploration of photomontage. This genre of photography builds images that also can be called a photographic montage or composite photograph or photo collage or photo montage or… I seem to navigate toward photomontage; it says how I define my own work.

In the past I thought about photomontage more in terms of double exposure and collage, but historically there are a wide range of possibilities. And in the current digital age there is even a wider array of techniques with editing software. Experimentation is the key as well as discovering the tools that blend with one’s sensibilities.

These multi-layered stories have a long history of capturing the attention of image makers. The artist that is given accolades for first using this photographic technique was the Victorian photographer Oscar Rejlander (1813-1875). He combined images in the analog darkroom, using multiple negatives. In the beginning most results circled around superimposing one photograph on top of the other. Or bits and pieces of an image selectively placed (very much like we cut and paste today). Over centuries innovators have pushed the boundaries, and the work amazes and startles. Mostly, the narratives draw the viewer to delve into an imagery world that is created with photographs taken in real time.

The Dadaists (e.g., John Heartfield, Hannah Hoch, Kurt Schwitters, Beatrice Wood) and Surrealists (e.g., Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Andre Breton) from the twentieth century furnished their own interpretation of composite images. Here are others from the twentieth and twenty-first century who have different styles and vision of joining images to create one anew: Scott Mutter, George Grosz, David Hockney, Jerry Uelsmann, Peter Kennard, Paul Cava, Romare Bearden, Adrian Brannan.

Since I am a semi-purist the enticement for this technique was not clear until I stepped inside its dimensions–dimensions that continue to curl around my spirit, and encourage my own way of joining two or more images. One of the benefits of this technique is how much concentration is needed to create and then meditate on the outcome. Silence is mandatory. Excitement and surprise demanded.

In the Lens section is an example. Since it is macro week, the first image is the close up view of a particularly colorful and elegant native Hibiscus. Last week this base of the hibiscus flower shouted brilliance with a subtle and triumphant touch. Its flare worked well along side of a still life from last month: geranium and hydrangea up cozy and friendly in a mason jar. In combination the image is celebratory jazz: a bouquet of optimism.

Tip of the Week:

Quotes by some of the most noted photomontage photographers:

“I’m a pilgrim on the edge, on the edge of my perception. We are travelers at the edge, we are always at the edge of our perceptions.” ~~ Scott Mutter (American, 1944-2008)

“I go and see anything that’s visually new, any technology that’s about picture-making. The technology won’t make the picture different, but someone using it will. ” ~~ David Hockney (English, b. 1937)

“It’s equally hard and labor intensive to create an image on the computer as it is in a darkroom. Believe me.” Jerry Uelsmann (American, b. 1934)

“I would like to show the world today as an ant sees it and tomorrow as the moon sees it. ~~ Hannah Hoch (German, 1789-1978)

“Cut with the Kitchen Knife Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany, 1919-1920, Hannah Hoch

View entries for this week’s challenge:

https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-macro-reflections-in-a-drop/

https://patchworkponderings.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/fossils-sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-macro/

https://decocraftsdigicrafts.wordpress.com/2016/08/09/sall-ds-mobile-photography-macros-of-a-different-motiv/

https://piecesofstarlight.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/up-close-look-at-this-summer-bounty-for-sally-ds-macro-challenge/

https://angelinem.wordpress.com/2016/08/08/sally-ds-mobile-photography-challenge-macro-corn-tassel/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2016/08/11/macro/

https://chasinglifeandfindingdreams.wordpress.com/2016/08/11/resilient-like-a-flower/

https://rfljenksy.wordpress.com/2016/08/14/nature-and-people-and-places/

Note:

As always I welcome comments about this post or any part of my blog. My photographs for the mobile photography challenge are taken with an iPhone 6.

****If you would like to buy a print of any of my photographs or have any questions, please view the Contact Information found on the masthead. Thank you.

If you’d like to join this Mobile Photography Challenge, please click here for details and history of the challenge. If you have any questions, please contact me. Below is a reminder of the monthly schedule with themes for upcoming challenges:

1st Monday: Nature.

2nd Monday: Macro.

3rd Monday: Black and White.

4th Monday Challenger’s Choice (Pick One: Abstraction, Animals, Architecture, Food Photography, Night Photography, Objects, Panorama, Portraiture, Still Life, Street Photography, and Travel).

5th Monday: Editing and Processing with Various Apps Using Themes from the Fourth Week.

 

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