Floral Portrait #1, 2004

Another exciting journey begins on the world wide web.  Have you heard about The Art Stack?  A new social media site to view the classic "master" photographers, painters, sculpturist and endless more.

My husband, Karl, appears to be all excited about it.  Is it the next shiny object, or something that may have some longevity?  The founders are following 30,000 artists so how much attention does any one artist get, or need.  That's an interesting question all by itself.  How much attention does any one artist need? I'll think on that one later.

But since Karl is generously encouraging me and my photography series I should give it a try. He just started uploading a couple of my Floral Portraits so I might as well get on board, too.  However, being the eternal businesswoman and entrepreneur and taskmaster, I'm going to upload the photos here as well because this is my blog and I have some control over what I have here and where it's going. So, drumroll please....

Floral Portrait #1, 2004, B&W HandColored

Thank you Rebecca Pavlenko for the hand coloring weekend workshop I took from you "back in the day."

Floral Portrait #2, 2005

In 2005 our photography business, InBeaute Photography purchased its first digital camera that we thought would be a good professional quality camera that we could use for weddings.  So, being the former girl scout I started to practice making portraits.

As our mentor, Monte Zucker said, "you don't practice on a paying client."

I found flowers/floral portraits the best subject for countless reasons and so the journey into digital portraits began.  I started making photographs on the front porch of our home.  Little did I know that I would come full circle and arrive back to the front porch studio in 2011 when we left our 1,400 sq. ft. studio in St. Paul, MN.

     “We shall not cease from exploration
     And the end of all our exploring
     Will be to arrive where we started
     And know the place for the first time.”

                                T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Floral Portrait #3, 2005

Floral Portrait #3, 2005

In March 2005 I still had a lovely collection of hand made papers carefully wrapped in plastic that I would use to create laboriously crafted, multi-layered greeting cards, often with my BFF Karen Bryan.  On long winter nights she would gather her card stamping materials, inks and hand made paper materials so that along with my paper collection we could create some awesome layered greeting cards.

When I created this floral portrait on the front porch, I didn't have a selection of professional photography backgrounds so I thought I'd try the heavy black paper with the thin gold threads in them. It would be perfect practice for a floral portrait.

Floral Portrait #4, 2005

Floral Portrait #4

                                     Homage to an Edward Weston Crafted Black And White

Yes, the lily on the black hand made paper was beautiful (Floral Portrait #3) but when the sun started to go down and the long shadow was created, I had to make the black and white version. It looked like something my favorite photographer Edward Weston might have made on a long exposure black and white film camera.

As I often say, half in jest, half serious, "the sun made me do it."

This is almost picture perfect but of course, I'll always wonder, "What would it have looked like created on black and white film and hand printed on Kodak fine art fiber paper?"

Well, I'll never know.  And I'll just stay content with this lovely little digital black and white portrait.

"You don't make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved."           Ansel Adams