Rose Grid I

I’m not a big fan of photography for photography’s sake. What I mean by that is, so many people are in love with the process of taking a picture, then working on it on the computer– changing the exposure, altering colors, maybe combining it with other images to create a new reality that wasn’t there when the picture was taken. I’ve done that thousands of times, particularly in my commercial photography where everyone wants to look great (“can you make me look ten years younger?”), and clients want their product to look appealing. I understand that and have no problem with it. But I find I’m spending way too much time on the computer, and in my fine art photography, I like to show things as they are. As a fine art photographer, it’s hard to create new and original imagery, while remaining true to your subject. I look at thousands of images every week, and see very little original photography. To counter this, I’ve been trying to come up with new ways of seeing, instead of imitating other photographers. It’s hard to create something new and beautiful, and I know whatever I do will have been done by someone else. But I’m not giving up. I’ve photographed flowers many times before, but not for a while now. Flowers are such beautiful, natural creations, it’s hard to avoid taking a picture of them once in a while. But how can I make a photo that isn’t a copy of someone else’s work, and still capture the “essence” of the flower? This image was made with a 1:1 macro lens, which allows for extreme closeups. The roses were photographed from several different angles, only about two inches from the petals, and arranged in a 4×4 grid. The final piece, at full size, is a massive 70 inches square (with a file size over 2GB). I’d love to find a business or public space that would hang such a large print. Of course, smaller prints are available too. I’m planing to add several more images to this series. Let me know what you think. Buy a print here, from $65 for a 10×10 inch print, to $195 for a 30×30 inch print. Larger sizes, as well as canvas prints, upon request.