In this blog I have tried to focus on the process behind creating my visual expressions. I want to offer a bit deeper insight in to how I work.
I see myself as an artist using photography as a medium to express what I want to express. In this lies the concept that taking the photos isn’t where the art starts.
Art starts with inspiration and ideas.
An idea gives me the ability to create a concept. With this in mind I plan the elements I want to include in the expression or expressions of the concept.
As I work with nature, I cannot always decide to the specific how I want it to be, I can decide what I want to show. Be it motions in water, be it distorted water, be it wind, be it stillness, reflections etc.
When working with the concept or sketch as we could call it i decide the elements I want to have added in. Rocks, waves, piers, sea planes, what kind of light, what kind of absence of light, all the elements.
Based on the inspirations I then go to my surroundings or the area I want to use for visualizing this sketch. I choose the lens, the camera, the filters, etc I have pre-decided upon that I need for the look I want to create.
When working with transferring from sketch to visiualisation or image, I work dedicated and focused. I work on finding the elements I need and use them active.
The result that you can study in a frame on your wall is the result of a process where the idea was created and transformed. The process, the thought behind and the execution of it are part of the art, not just the end result. Audience that appreciates the artistic process will be able to get a deeper experience from art.
As i work with nature I may have several projects running, as I am not the master of my surroundings. So I can switch between projects. If not I will force myself to think outside the box, how can I without the “perfect” conditions still create what I imagined.
When I work to shoot the photo, it is important to me to be able to create as close to perfect exposure with the camera. Not that modern editing tools do not offer great features. But my experience tell me that if the shot is not optimal it is often hard to make it optimal. I have higher requirements for myself and therefor I do not settle for OK. I think the photos are like music, louder the better or larger the better, and then it falls trough if the quality isn’t there.
So after shooting I import the shots into my computer, I am first importing them as files and then I am adding the files to a secondary location. I use external hard drives as well as cloud storage. After this I import one of the external drives into Adobe Lightroom on my computer, I add tags to the shots and import it into the program. I go trough to look after the ones I like the most. I edit them first with a “Spot removal tone curve”. I remove the spots left there by my camera. Then i adjust horizons, cut out the shot I want, then change contrasts, use predefined presets to achieve different enhancements I want. Use graduated filters and other things.
I present photos on the net, mostly on either https://500px.com/lhegdal , Facebook https://www.facebook.com/hegdal.net/ or my website http://hegdal.net
When it comes to printing them, a whole new area of knowledge gets in. I can cover some of my knowledge around that area another time.