Photo Project Iterations

When I first joined the 52Frames weekly photo challenge the iPhone was and still is my camera. I’m not a photographer; rather, I have always enjoyed taking photos since I can remember. So the best photo that met the subject matter was uploaded to the site. Lately I have become more interested in creating composite photos - taking several images and putting them all together to make a more whimsical end result. I find this process much more interesting because it makes me be more creative. So rather than editing a photo for clarity and such, I also like to add a personal touch. And in the end I know whatever I post can not be duplicated. An example of this is one of the more recent challenges - in the center. I found a neighborhood lady who dresses in an interesting way swinging on the swing in the park. Her image was isolated from the photo. The background was changed to a simple sky with clouds and the swing chains were painted in. I wasn’t happy with that so another background was added. I painted in the background. It was actually good, but I thought perhaps I should use another photo instead of paint. So I took a photo of the night sky and tried that instead and then added a bit of paint to give it more texture. A star was painted in from which to hang the swing and the final image was created. You could say this is a bit more than point and shoot, but it is acceptable. So now every week I need to think through all of the elements that will be needed to create a project. That sometimes takes some doing, but it is usually a very enjoyable experience. 

Fine Art America Yazd House of Strength Print

Just a few days ago I received a notice from Fine Art America that someone in Fairfax, Virginia bought a stretched canvas of a Masouleh, Iran photo. I have both digital art and photographs on my Fine Art America website and am always so pleased when someone likes an image that much to actually purchase it to display it in their home or office, or perhaps even use as a gift. Today I received another notice that someone in Fairfax purchased a print of Yazd House of Strength - another photo I took when we were visiting with family and friends in Iran a few years ago. I have a feeling this might be the same person and am thrilled that they like my work! I have a separate gallery of photos from Iran, and look at it a lot myself to recall the wonderful and mystical sights and places we saw there. All of these options to share both art and photographs didn't exist even ten years ago. Now they are in abundance and serve as great vehicles to display artwork. That's one of the main reasons I recently upgraded to an iPhone 6 Plus because I'm always looking for interesting photo ops. I've always loved taking photos, and sharing them is another part of the process.