2.06.2011

{ECHO} Week 28 - "White"

{Echo} 's theme for their 28th week is "white." My first thought was the milkglass bowl in the artroom. It holds to brimming an antique button collection with variations of white: pearl and ivory, bone, but seeing as how I've already photographed and posted those, I turned to the precious polymer clay hearts Olivia made for me last weekend. (she followed the tutorial found here.) It wasn't until Olivia was helping me arrange the hearts on some faded bookpages that I noticed my pale sweet child was wearing white, standing next to a painted church pew, also white, with white sheer dining room curtains as backdrop. Hello, sweet serendipity! I forgot all about the hearts and snapped a few shots of her instead. She really is such a dear and was good once again to humor me. I have to admit that sometimes I do promise her rewards for posing. Usually it's a trip to Barnes and Noble. A new book or two serves as excellent payment for being a patient model. And I can be demanding, I suppose. "Turn this way. Hold it right there. Perfect. Just turn your eyes to me. Chin up. Down."


Looking through the images I noticed that this was the only shot in which she wasn't smiling, and while I dearly love the smiling frames, I chose this one to share because in this serene pose with her hand just so over her heart, she reminded me of one of Julia Margaret Cameron's girls. Maybe it's the eyes. Or the hair. Goodness, sometimes I feel as if she is transforming into this grown soul right before my eyes.



The second image is my attempt to make the shot appear old, like a tintype or ambrotype, using various layers and textures in Photoshop. You can find textures to layer in with your own photographs on Flickr here and here. I used one from Flickr and then one of my own. I played with the blending modes and levels, the colors. It wasn't successful in that I don't feel I was able to capture a wet plate process like I hoped, especially in the edges, but I love the image regardless. I don't even know if there is a way to digitally create the look of a wet plate process. Hmmm.... I will keep investigating and trying and will share if I find out anything useful. Of course, that said, I could just make the effort to learn the collodion process, couldn't I? But that involves ether and silver nitrate and just those words alone invoke a sense of caution. Even so, it is on the list of things I want to investigate someday, but for now with my already full plate, I will watch videos like this of Jill Enfield demonstrating her colloidion process and dream. Check out that portable darkroom, how seriously cool is that? And Sally Mann talks about the process here. (I love the part about the angel of uncertainty.)

"Collodion, a binding agent made from cotton, was invented for photographic use in 1851 by an Englishman named Frederick Archer. It was cheaper than the daguerreotype, which was then 12 years old and, more importantly, it produced a negative, so could be replicated. Lewis Carroll wrote a poem about it, Roger Fenton used it in the Crimea, Julia Margaret Cameron created soft-focus portraits with it. The problem, then as now, is that you have only 10 minutes, from the coating of the plate in the darkroom to developing, in which to take the picture."---Gaby Wood

11 comments:

Sonia said...

I was so taken aback by the beauty of this picture that I cried. Livi is such a lovely girl and the picture captured her sweetness. And you, Tricia, are also just as beautiful! I love you both so much!

heather said...

Wow...well I think the photo came out amazing! It does truly look so old and timeless. What a beautiful girl you have too! Love all the new pieces you've been showing. They are so original and so lovely. I cant wait to see what 2011 brings you!~

Dreama Kattenbraker said...

How beautiful and sweet this picture is and you successfully aged the photo's appearance. what many talents you have Tricia, you are a marvel to your friends. xoxoox

Tone said...

Gorgeous photo! I love how *knowing* she looks, just dreaming/watching under hooded lids like that, as if she were just visiting from a world where souls are ancient but never aloof. I suppose elf is the word I'm looking for. Yes, she looks like an elf. Love it.

triciascott said...

xoxo

triciascott said...

tone, thank you so much and so wonderful that you said "elf" --olivia is an elf in a few weeks in a ballet performance. i thought it was a perfect role for her! :)

triciascott said...

heather, thank you!

triciascott said...

you, YOU, are so kind and supportive. i'm a lucky girl!

Relyn said...

She looks like an old soul. Those eyes...

Deborah McNutt said...

What a "Beautiful" shot!!~~I love this picture!~~She is so lovely!!!!

triciascott said...

thank you so much, for the kind words and the blog visit!