Bits and Pieces

You may be wondering why it's been so long since I've posted some images. The thing is that I haven't been working on any images that could really stand alone (Cast Shadows aside, but I figured you'd like to see something new). What I have been working on is some photomontages. So, a little behind the scenes to see how I put together "Life" (at the bottom for those of you that just want to get to the main feature). As a side note, I'm not including all of the images that I used as some are the same object from a different angle and was really only needed to complete the object in the final space.

To define life for this project, I really thought about the most important elements in my life right now. The first thing that came to mind is a friend of mine that is currently serving in the Peace Corps. Even though she is far away, we communicate on a regular basis and she has really helped me stay sane (those of you who know me can attest that that is not an easy task even when you are in the neighborhood). Her commitment to service then led me to my commitment to service and made me think about all that is going on in the world today, especially Africa. So that is where the two primary conflicting elements in the image come from, each wants to dominate the scene.

The clouds served as the backdrop. As the map burns through, you can see the clouds. This became symbolic that if the world burns, there is nothing left.

I actually shot this in my bathroom (we are no longer allowed to light fires in the studio, which is probably a good thing). You'll notice that the entire image is very orange. This is because I did not do any color correction for the incandescent light bulbs in the bathroom. Actually I did, but I found that the look of the image made the fire look more like fire in the final image.

The map of the world, showcasing the two continents that I focused on: South America teeming with the tropical rainforests, the very symbol of life and Africa, currently embroiled in turmoil. I know I make it sound horrible, but I have a very limited perspective of life in Africa and the news media tends to focus on the unpleasant parts, so that's all I really know about it.

Flowers to help fill out my lush plant life. Notice that these are white, yet in the final image, they are more pink.

My big tree. Notice that really I only used the trunk and pulled in leaves from another tree.

"Life"

And this is what "Life" looks like completed. I am very happy with the way it turned out considering this was really my first "serious" photomontage. I will hopefully be posting some more soon, but knowing the rate at which I blog, soon may equal never. Just keep checking back. If you are interested in more photomontage, I recommend Beckelman Imaging and Shotwell Photography to start. These two really inspired me to do my best with these projects. Also check out Scott Nobles Photography and Smalldog Imageworks, simply amazing stuff.