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Roberta Bailey
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| Roberta's statement | ||
When I first see the intricate details of my floral portraits come up on my screen I feel it is magical. Unexpectedly rich colors and unusual shapes amazingly appear in the digital capturing process. My techniques are a mixture of art, technology and serendipity. The Process
About five years ago, while visiting a photography gallery, I became very intrigued with flower images created with an enlarger in the darkroom. I wanted to create a similar look. But since I had neither an enlarger nor a darkroom, I was stumped until I came up with the idea of using a scanner. It worked perfectly, I was thrilled! Plus, I love working in Photoshop. I start by arranging the flowers in a clear container (glass or plastic) on top of the scanner (I take off the scanner lid). Then I make preliminary previews and zooms while adjusting the composition with a toothpick and tweezers before scanning. I like to leave the flowers in the container because over time the flowers change, sometimes for the better. By better, I mean more interesting. I have grudgingly developed patience, and it has paid off. For backgrounds I like to try out a variety of colored, textured and patterned papers. I also like to backlight using flashlights and flexible neck table lamps. The light shines through a variety of background materials such as craft tissue papers and photographic gels. I build a “tent” of clear domes (plastic containers from grocery store salad mixes etc.) to suspend the background papers over the flowers at different heights. It often looks like a trash heap! I really enjoy experimenting with various effects. After I have made a few dozen scans of different compositions with the same elements, I select my favorite(s) to complete in Photoshop. Some images take only a few hours, while others may take a few days to complete. For me, the most important part of the process is playing with new and different scanning and Photoshop ideas. I find it to be glorious fun, and getting an image I like is just frosting on the cake. See more of Roberta's creations All Images Copyright |
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