Wow, what a story, Stella. The way you discovered and connected with renaissance art! These photos are beautiful, very pictorial, almost like studies of nature or still-lives but in nature. I'm sure they'd look great printed. Thanks for sharing!
Chiaroscuro in the paintings of the Flemish and Dutch Masters was what drew me to art when I was young. I thought the subjects of the paintings were very boring, but I loved the light :)
Thanks, Conny! It is truly about the light. I'd love to return to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and just take my time soaking in those Dutch and Flemish paintings. It's been a long time since my last visit.
Stunning photographs Stella. Absolutely glorious. And thanks so much for sharing your past. I’m at that point where my cholesterol is rising. I already walk heaps, but need to change something else obviously. Food for thought.
Thank you, Beth! Yikes, I totally hear you on cholesterol readings. We do the best we can to try and stave off getting sick as much as possible. I love that you are walking heaps! I love walking too. We're lucky to be 5 minutes away from the bay so we have this beautiful scenery that constantly inspires and rejuvinates us.
That's quite a journey you described Stella. It's amazing how that childhood trauma you experienced (sending a hug right now!) led you down this path, and ultimately to creating this work. The photographs are beautiful, nothing archaic or outdated about them as far as I am concerned – you should absolutely do something with them, and I do think they will make stunning prints. A one-off zine could also be a great idea, particularly as there is such a powerful story to accompany them. Are there more images than the ones shown in the video?
Thank you for your thoughts, Tom! I truly appreciate it. I'm glad to hear that you didn't think the photographs were archaic and outdated. Yes, I have more images than the ones I've shown in the video. I'd love to see them in large prints as I know, for sure, the visual impact is stronger. Haven't thought about making a zine for this so thank you for the suggestion.
What they were shot with? Not that I'm a gearhead, and not that it even matters, but there's a visual quality to the images (and perhaps the processing?) that makes them hard to place. They could be vintage digital, something more recent, iPhone, or even 35mm, I'm so curious to hear more!
Oh, thank you, Tom! I didn’t use any fancy camera. The earlier images were photographed with a Canon G11. Later, I switched to a Canon G5X. I used a few different VSCO filters (analog film presets that are already discontinued) combined with a bit of dodging and burning via Lightroom.
I began photographing on daily mornings along the Lake Michigan shore path after a career mostly as a curator and historian of photography. I wanted to find different kinds of pictures from those I knew or had made myself. My guide was luminosity, or more accurately asking what kind of picture the luminosity either allowed or suggested. Secondly, I wanted the picture to have an event, obvious or suggested. Curious, subtle, astonishing, and perplexing pictures slowly came and revealed themselves to me. Many involved people who were there at sunrise and what it meant to picture them in moments of walking dogs, jogging, cycling, and swimming. Many of those once subjects became close friends and essential to my daily routine and pleasure.
Thanks for sharing your story, Travis. I’m glad your creative endeavors brought you meaningful relationships with the subjects you once photographed. May they continue on in your life and work.
Your photos are really stunning! I never thought about chiaroscuro as being something in the real world, outside of an "effect" in painting - now I will be more attentive!
Thanks also for sharing your story. I'm glad you found your way to a lighter place from that darkness.
Thank you, Susanne! I know right? From 6th grade to freshman year in HS were the toughest for me. Thanks for the zine suggestion— Tom Bland mentioned it as well. I’ll mull over it for sure.
Oops, it was send before I was done… I don’t think photos can ever be outdated, can they? I would rather think either they don’t speak to you anymore or at best have even become better, because they now evoke nostalgia. Maybe you could make a zine and even if it’s just for you?!
So happy I found your work! I’m a lover of the same sort of light and use it often in my personal and client work. It never gets old. 🤩 Greetings from Finland!
Thank you, Nani. Wow, you’re all the way from Finland. So glad you chimed in and shared your thoughts. I appreciate it. I’m glad you love this kind of light like I do. Hope you are having a good summer!
Oh Stella! These are sumptuous images. You hav e a wonderful eye and I love how you translate the mystery of such fleeting moments. The images are also a perfect metaphor for healing from traumatic experiences. We hold within us all the darkness and all the light. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Anne! It means a lot coming from you. I think it was a Mary Oliver quote about being given darkness and later on realizing that is a gift too. That’s what came to my thought after writing this post. Hope you are having a good summer!
Just love the photographs Stella. Beautiful, calming, light and mood.
Thanks for looking, Shital. I appreciate it.
Wow, what a story, Stella. The way you discovered and connected with renaissance art! These photos are beautiful, very pictorial, almost like studies of nature or still-lives but in nature. I'm sure they'd look great printed. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Xavi! I'd love to see more of them enlarged. I think the visual impact is stronger and you can really see the details. Thanks for looking!
Chiaroscuro in the paintings of the Flemish and Dutch Masters was what drew me to art when I was young. I thought the subjects of the paintings were very boring, but I loved the light :)
Thanks, Conny! It is truly about the light. I'd love to return to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and just take my time soaking in those Dutch and Flemish paintings. It's been a long time since my last visit.
Stunning photographs Stella. Absolutely glorious. And thanks so much for sharing your past. I’m at that point where my cholesterol is rising. I already walk heaps, but need to change something else obviously. Food for thought.
Thank you, Beth! Yikes, I totally hear you on cholesterol readings. We do the best we can to try and stave off getting sick as much as possible. I love that you are walking heaps! I love walking too. We're lucky to be 5 minutes away from the bay so we have this beautiful scenery that constantly inspires and rejuvinates us.
Beautiful writing (and photos) Stella.
Thank you, Beth! I hope your move is going well so far. Take care!
That's quite a journey you described Stella. It's amazing how that childhood trauma you experienced (sending a hug right now!) led you down this path, and ultimately to creating this work. The photographs are beautiful, nothing archaic or outdated about them as far as I am concerned – you should absolutely do something with them, and I do think they will make stunning prints. A one-off zine could also be a great idea, particularly as there is such a powerful story to accompany them. Are there more images than the ones shown in the video?
Thank you for your thoughts, Tom! I truly appreciate it. I'm glad to hear that you didn't think the photographs were archaic and outdated. Yes, I have more images than the ones I've shown in the video. I'd love to see them in large prints as I know, for sure, the visual impact is stronger. Haven't thought about making a zine for this so thank you for the suggestion.
What they were shot with? Not that I'm a gearhead, and not that it even matters, but there's a visual quality to the images (and perhaps the processing?) that makes them hard to place. They could be vintage digital, something more recent, iPhone, or even 35mm, I'm so curious to hear more!
Oh, thank you, Tom! I didn’t use any fancy camera. The earlier images were photographed with a Canon G11. Later, I switched to a Canon G5X. I used a few different VSCO filters (analog film presets that are already discontinued) combined with a bit of dodging and burning via Lightroom.
Interesting, thank you. Well they look great and I hope to see you do something with the series.
Thank you for the encouragement, Tom. I appreciate it.
I began photographing on daily mornings along the Lake Michigan shore path after a career mostly as a curator and historian of photography. I wanted to find different kinds of pictures from those I knew or had made myself. My guide was luminosity, or more accurately asking what kind of picture the luminosity either allowed or suggested. Secondly, I wanted the picture to have an event, obvious or suggested. Curious, subtle, astonishing, and perplexing pictures slowly came and revealed themselves to me. Many involved people who were there at sunrise and what it meant to picture them in moments of walking dogs, jogging, cycling, and swimming. Many of those once subjects became close friends and essential to my daily routine and pleasure.
Thanks for sharing your story, Travis. I’m glad your creative endeavors brought you meaningful relationships with the subjects you once photographed. May they continue on in your life and work.
Your photos are really stunning! I never thought about chiaroscuro as being something in the real world, outside of an "effect" in painting - now I will be more attentive!
Thanks also for sharing your story. I'm glad you found your way to a lighter place from that darkness.
Thank you, Laura! I’m glad you were inspired and that the pictures made you think differently. I appreciate your kind words. Thanks for looking!
Thank you for sharing all this; so lovely.
“a newfound awareness of chiaroscuro light emerging”
Quite a nifty metaphor for life, containing both light and dark, sun and shadow.
Thank you, Daniel!
Oh, thank you, Daniel! The yin/yang of life as well.
Girls can be so mean at that age! How did we all ever survive this phase?
Your photos are beautiful. Light like this always makes me heart skip a beat when on my walks! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you, Susanne! I know right? From 6th grade to freshman year in HS were the toughest for me. Thanks for the zine suggestion— Tom Bland mentioned it as well. I’ll mull over it for sure.
Oops, it was send before I was done… I don’t think photos can ever be outdated, can they? I would rather think either they don’t speak to you anymore or at best have even become better, because they now evoke nostalgia. Maybe you could make a zine and even if it’s just for you?!
So happy I found your work! I’m a lover of the same sort of light and use it often in my personal and client work. It never gets old. 🤩 Greetings from Finland!
Thank you, Nani. Wow, you’re all the way from Finland. So glad you chimed in and shared your thoughts. I appreciate it. I’m glad you love this kind of light like I do. Hope you are having a good summer!
Oh Stella! These are sumptuous images. You hav e a wonderful eye and I love how you translate the mystery of such fleeting moments. The images are also a perfect metaphor for healing from traumatic experiences. We hold within us all the darkness and all the light. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you, Anne! It means a lot coming from you. I think it was a Mary Oliver quote about being given darkness and later on realizing that is a gift too. That’s what came to my thought after writing this post. Hope you are having a good summer!
These are stunning, Stella! Oh my goodness - those reflections...
Thank you, Sydney! It means a lot
Beautiful photos full of soul.
Thank you for looking, Patrick!
Incredible photographs, Stella, evocative and a painterly quality! I think you should make a book out of them.
Thank you, Manuela! A book would be nice. Thank you for the vote of confidence in that idea. We’ll see how it goes…