Mark,
Thanks for taking a look.
When I first posted I had a link but thought it wouldn't make anyone stop to take a look as there was no photo attached and then I made a collage and uploaded. Once it was uploaded, I really didn't like how many there were and thought to myself .. whoa, way more than I should have and it just looked like a huge jumble of images. I thought to delete it but since the edit button had disappeared under my post, I opted just to change the photo that was on my server.
Now, why a video. Someone gave me a piece of music to work with and I put together these photos to go with it that I've been taking in the last few weeks. He writes music for me all the time and I like fitting stuff to go with it. I put the show together not expressly for OPF but for my friends and youtube subscribers who like to see what I'm up to. I just thought I'd share them here as a first tepid step into the waters of OPF.
As for the title, I'm not a writer and I will admit I sort of slapped that on. The title doesn't really fit what I'm trying to show.
As for the text - it was simply a visual thing that the text is there. Of course, I know that everyone knows what a strawberry is. I just wanted the text to be there and to slide off for a bit of movement without disturbing the actual image.
Now for the images. They are not really about eating. I shoot many types of images and still life images among them. I often like to shoot the daily things around us. So, I've been shooting the food that I take out of my fridge. I like exploring their shapes, colors and textures. I like trying to show what I find interesting about them. It might be their color, their shape, their texture. So, yes, I get inspired by simply things around me including the food I put into my mouth before it gets there. The Physalis, with its hidden treasure and it's outer shell like a lantern made out of crepe. The cherry which has it connotations, a little dark, a little wet and yes, tongue-tied. I attempt to emphasize their texture, like with the pears, where they looked bruised and abused and had this incredible sexy, sensual shape and yet this really thick harsh texture. I play with light to either make colors pop, or by using the Chiaroscuro method the old masters of paint, of using lights and darks, trying to create depth and give more body to the shapes.
as for my favorite, perhaps the enoki with the light coming from behind; printed out that tiny bunch of mushrooms is tall, delicate and quite alien and has movement like a troupe of dancers in the center of the stage.
I like others too for different reasons.
Now, I never said I was an artist and yes, I make what are considered just pretty pictures.
That doesn't mean I'm shallow & have no depth or point of view. It means I feel vulnerable and find it difficult to show you who I am through my photos. Instead, I indulge myself with thing that I find visually pleasing to make my world an easier place to live in. Yes, I do find beauty in the world around me and I know that is not in vogue and perhaps not very artsy. Believe it or not, it helps keep me sane and gets me through the day.
I joined this forum, as I do want to explore getting more across in my photos and I agree that I'm far from being there completely, but I do often see the world in its small details and you are seeing a glimpse of who I am in what I do.
When and if I ever do become able to bring forth something others here will find interesting, I'm sure it will still be visually pleasing to my personal aesthetics. It's part of who I am, in style or not.
OPF is new territory for me. It's scary for me. I have put up my recent work, mediocre as some may think it is, and that will be my reference point to see how I shall (hopefully) grow.
Although I may not have a lot to share artistically, I do still believe that I have value on the OPF forum. I'm very proficient in Photoshop and that may be helpful to some members.
You don't know me and I don't know you but I hope you don't simply presume that my imagery has no value at all and will never have value and instead give me a chance.
I realize that I probably really don't fit in here very well and it would be quite easy for me to simply go away and show my stuff where I know people will enjoy and appreciate it. I would not get hurt and my ego would be stroked and I 'd go to sleep with a smile on my face. So even though my photos are just considered nice and not meaningful, I am here trying to move further along. I'm trying to not be mediocre as that is worse than being bad, I guess.
My images will not look like yours, because I'm not you and I believe we each have our own path to follow. I just want a chance to follow mine.
Maggie
