Ode to Black (Black Hope) IV – Shadow Black © Julia Anna Gospodarou 2013
Image Vision and Realization – Ode to Black | Black Hope IV
IMAGE AND SERIES CONCEPT EVOLUTION
I will explain in this article how I created my latest image and how the concept and realization of this image evolved relatively to the previous images in the series, which shows creating a series of photographs is a living process with a dynamic evolution that sometimes cannot be anticipated but that reflects how our ideas change and how we deepen and enrich the initial idea of a series, how we add to it as we go.
Another image in my series Ode to Black (Black Hope) with an addition or a change in the name, I still don’t know if I will keep both names or just one, I’ll probably decide when I reach the end of the series, as now it is still a work in progress. The change in name came from a change in direction as for the meaning of the series. Many times I work on my images in a certain way, or rather creating a certain atmosphere or general feel that can come from the use of shapes (like in Like a Harp’s Strings series), the use of subject (as in Catharsis series), or the use of light, as now in the Ode to Black | Black Hope series. I feel the need to explore different paths every time and express myself through different elements or use different ways of representation and I believed till very recently that this is a rational and conscious decision and choice that I make. But working on the Black series I discovered that, while the way I’m working on my images, technically speaking, is a very rational and controlled one, since I aim to create a perfect image at the end of the process, the way my vision is born and the way it evolves till the final touch of brush on the image: the whole process from capturing my images, choosing which ones to process and then finally processing them, is rather a subconscious process that guides me many times without me even noticing it. Something very close to what they say about “being in a trance state” and following your vision there.
VISION EVOLUTION
This series started apparently from nowhere, then it became an exploration of color black, of the absence of light and a challenge to see how far I can go with removing light till it doesn’t exist anymore, to eventually turn into a psychological introspection with the unseen and unnoticed intention in the beginning (but that came to surface just recently) to express extreme emotions and be a highly personal representation of the world I see around me. Art is personal, art is selfish and I believe that in essence whatever we create is an expression of our inner need to explain the world, regardless if we believe that we study shapes, different subjects or experiment with light.
THE IDEA BEHIND THE NAME OF THE SERIES
The new names of the images in Ode to Black | Black Hope series are inspired by the Jungian archetypes and the different theories he developed throughout his life-long study regarding the way patterns and universal symbols can create a subconscious language understood by everyone, regardless the place or the cultural medium they belong to. More on this subject with the next image in the series.
CONCLUSION
It is possible to create art without a mind, but it is impossible to do it without a soul. Your art will look exactly like your soul does, it will be a mirror of your truest ego, of your deepest desires, of your strongest feelings and hopes. Whoever knows how to look at it will be able see the whole you in your art. It’s not easy to show one’s soul so completely naked, that is why you have to truly need it in order to find the way and the courage to create it.
If you don’t need it like air, it’s not art.
TECHNICAL DATA
286.0 sec. @ f/11, @ 13mm, ISO 100
Equipment:
Camera: Nikon D7000
Lens: Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 ED AF-S DX
Black and white processing – Photography Drawing (PhtD)
LR4, PS CS6, Topaz B&W Effects (B&W Effects extensive review) + Topaz DeNoise + Topaz Detail + NIK Silver Efex Pro 2.
TOPAZ LABS 15% DISCOUNT FOR MY STUDENTS AND FOLLOWERS
Topaz Labs was so kind to not only feature my work so many times and participate in my workshops, but they also gave me a discount code for my students and followers who are reading this blog and want to use the best software available in their post-processing work. You can use my special code JULIAG to get 15% discount for any of the Topaz plugins, separately or the whole collection. You can use the code by ordering at this link. Enjoy!
Julia Anna Gospodarou - (en)Visionographer
Julia Anna Gospodarou is an internationally acclaimed photographer, architect with a Master degree, author and highly sought-after educator, teaching workshops and lecturing around the world. Founder of (en)Visionography™ and creator of Photography Drawing™, author of the best-selling book From Basics to Fine Art - Black and White Photography , with high distinctions in the most important photography competitions worldwide (International Photography Awards IPA Photographer of the Year, World Photography Awards SWPA and Hasselblad Masters finalist, as well as 80+ more awards), widely published internationally in books and magazines, Julia is passionate about the art in photography and striving to spread it into the world.