I had some fun with an image of some hotels in Phoenix layered with part of a rusty fence- and then some Photoshop brushwork. Playing with images is definitely my favorite form of escape and relaxation.
Fortress
In Dreams
I haven’t had a beach day for almost two years- just in dreams.
Fragments Exhibition
I realized that I have not yet posted a link to the Fragments Exhibition from Find Your Voice! Above is “That Morning”- the image they selected from the three I submitted. We were told that they would not be choosing our “best” or “strongest” image, but one that would fit with others in a grouping on the virtual walls.
I guarantee you will be blown away by this virtual show! Abstract or expressionist art tends to evoke reactions from the viewers- ranging from “I don’t get” it to “That’s beautiful” to “I would/wouldn’t hang that in my living room” to just pure admiration! There are so many that inspire me- I hope you feel the same!
Here is the link. After you enter, just click on arrows to move around and click on the art pieces to view more information. Enjoy!
For Love of Rust
Like many photographers, I love the old and decaying details I come across. Give me an alley, a rusty old truck, a weathered fence or a crumbling wall- I can be happy all day! I won’t go into how much I love barb wire. . .
Maritime
Here’s another multiple exposure from Newport Beach from 2022. This one is layered with some gelli plate textures.
Secret Chord
…I’ve heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord…
Alleyways are always wonderful sources of images for photographers! This one is a composite of two shots taken in a Petaluma alley- and then it became something else. Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah was going through my head as the final image came to light.
Smithereens
This is the third image I’ve submitted for the online exhibition. It is an in-camera multiple exposure of the Newport Beach pier layered in Photoshop with some gelli prints and is called “Smithereens”. You can decide for yourself what the image means to you, and, as for the title, I just like the word!
Heat Dome
As you may remember, I am part of an wonderful group called Find Your Voice, run by the amazing Valda Bailey and Doug Chinnery. I have learned so much from them and from the photographer/artists who are a part of the group! We create work in the expressionist style, using multiple exposure, intentional camera movement and other techniques to express our vision. It is the time of year when we submit 3 pieces to Valda and Doug who will pick ONE to show in the online exhibition, like we did last year. This year, the exhibition is titled “Fragments” and we are encouraged to use elements of collage in our work, which may be other photographs, painting, cyanotype, or other techniques. Many of the members are also artists in other mediums (not me!), so, as you can imagine, I have to fight off “Imposter Syndrome” at every turn!
The image above is a collage (or composite) of an in-camera multiple exposure layered with parts of several gelli plate printed images. My inspiration was the recent massive heat wave- hence the title, “Heat Dome”. It is one of the three images I am submitting, so may or may not be in the online show.Another image I’m submitting is “That Morning”, which has appeared here on the blog. I will post the other entry later, once I figure out a title!
Global Warming
This image did not start out to have anything to do with global warming, but it has certainly been on my mind this last year. I began with an intentional camera movement photo, and as I started building layers, this somewhat apocalyptic image just evolved.
Merging Realities 3
I am finally getting around to posting the third in my Merging Realities series! Although I’ve been taking and editing photos, I’ve been super busy and just couldn’t get my act together to post any of them. But summer vacation is here, and my retirement life is going to slow down a bit- so expect more posts soon-ish!
Merging Realities 2
Another image from the mall.
Merging Realities
Part of a series created from scenes at a mall this week.
Moonshadow, Moonshadow
I’m a bit obsessed by the moonshadows created by Monday’s eclipse. This is a composite of two moonshadowed iris leaf images. The painterliness of the image was not created by filters, but by the magic of blending the moonshadows and leaves together.
In the Path of Totality
I’ve been having fun combining some of my little moonshadow images (especially the ones on leaves) into abstracts. These are the first three in a little project I’m calling “In the Path of Totality”.
Trippin’ on Agave
We just spent a wonderful week in the Palm Springs area with our daughter’s family- hanging out, swimming and relaxing with our grandboys. One morning, we drove with our son-in-law to a botanical garden and had a lovely time looking at the variety of desert plants. I had fun photographing the curves of the agave leaves, which just seemed to call out for some intentional camera movement. Afterward we had lunch at the amazing Manhattan in the Desert- always a favorite!
melinda anderson photography 