So, I've been wrestling a debate in my own mind for months now & I think I've finally come to an understanding. (Note: Debating yourself is not a pastime I would encourage. It's exhausting, to say the least.) What was my debate? Well, I know there's this conversation going on all the time in photography of things being overly edited & processed versus the more realistic and natural image conveying reality. I have worked very hard to get my technical skills up to par to where I can minimally edit my photos afterward (some adjusting of exposure, bumping contrast/brightness, and tweaking levels of saturation - less than 5 minutes & BOOM - photo is done). That's been great, I've learned so much, I still have so much more technical learning to do BUT (& you knew this was coming) the artist inside me is suffering.
I don't see things in reality. I have a fairly fantastical mind that adores fairytales, fantasy, science fiction, & pretty much anything that is incredibly far from reality (Harry Potter fan? Uhhhh, yup!). I am also a HUGE fan of color. Bright, bold, shining, sweeping levels of color. So, I needed to decide what I wanted & what I want is to paint more. That is, I want to manipulate, colorize, switch the colors, step awaaaayyyyyyy from reality, stretch the boundaries, & have more fun. I do this (photography) entirely for my inner joy. I have a full time job & photography is where my right brain gets to spin, jump, and dance with artistic creativity. I haven't had enough of that lately. I was locking myself into my own cubicle rules of photography etiquette.
So what does this mean? You will be there to see my style evolve, my vision become more assured, me push my mind's eye boundaries, probably some mistakes, possible over-edits, and a rotation of visual styles. In other words, the adventure that is my life. I am super excited to see how this evolves & I look forward to all of your feedback & comments!
