Follow the Creative Itch

anna STeVenSon FRPS

Quite some ago – in the way distant past, pre-Covid – I had a very interesting conversation over lunch at an RPS Visual Art gathering (you remember those?) about abstracts, documentary photography and exhibitions, all of which boiled down to one word: ‘Intent’.

What was the photographer’s intent when taking the photograph – making the image or exhibiting said work?

Now, I’m not one who likes to analyse something that is essentially a ‘visual’ medium. Why do you need to know what the photographer was thinking when the image was taken, or what their political agenda might be? For me, art has always been a ‘like it’ or ‘don’t like it’ kind of subject. It either speaks to me or it doesn’t. It’s either aesthetically pleasing or it isn’t. However, on an intellectual level, as an artist, I’ve learnt that you do need to think more about your intentions for an image. It helps you achieve what you set out to achieve and, by understanding this, you can repeat the process more easily and thus gain in confidence and competence. of course, the RPS Associate and Fellowship distinctions positively encourage you to acknowledge your intentions with a ‘Statement of Intent’. My Contemporary Fellowship panel on my feelings about zoos emphasised a pretty obvious intent: to highlight my belief that ‘despite claims that they are all about conservation I believe zoos are still essentially a 19th century anachronism’. But, by physically writing down my statement, it allowed me to sharpen my thinking and beliefs and hone in on certain images, to refine my selection for a more powerful effect, and, although it was in the Contemporary category, there was a large element of visual art involved in producing the prints. on the other hand, my creative work using multiple exposure (ME) and intentional camera movement (ICM) has been less tangible when it comes to intent. Maybe, because for me, it is more of an emotional connection and an expression of my own creativity. If I’m honest, to a point, the intent for most of these images has been to learn my craft, with the emotional connection being secondary. or maybe it is the other way round. It is sometimes difficult to tell with one’s own work. I like the process of ‘making’ an image rather than just taking a photograph and some of the results please me even more.

I say ‘some’, as they are all essentially works in progress. As I develop, so do they. I’d like to produce more abstract work, but I find it a bit of a stretch as I do have a tendency towards realism.

However, it is beginning to dawn on me that I am indeed doing abstract work already, using ME and ICM as a medium. It’s just my work doesn’t always attract the inevitable question of ‘what is it?’. (The human mind does like to be able to put a label on something!)

What I am asked is ‘how did you do that?’.

I use a Canon 5d Mk III (other famous brands are available!). This camera gives me a variety of settings that can be used within the ME window. All the settings (bright, dark, average and additive) affect the style of image and the end result. This is where your intent can suddenly fly out of the window as you discover alternatives to what might have been in your mind’s eye. Whilst I can give a basic outline of what the settings do, using that knowledge and being able to anticipate what the resulting multiple image will look like, takes a great deal of practice, trial and error.

I think we are all influenced by the work of those we admire artistically, but I regard ‘copying’ merely as a learning tool or stepping stone. With ME, though, it is impossible to directly copy another’s work even if you wanted to. You can be taught the technicalities and processes involved, but ultimately the resulting image that you present should and will be what speaks to you as an artist. What emerges from all of these influences is a style that becomes your own.

I’ve been influenced by Valda Bailey (of course!) whose images have a very delicate, ethereal quality which I think is beautiful. I find this very difficult to achieve – it turns out this isn’t my natural style. However, with a bit of experimentation with the settings (in particular, the average setting which gives a more subtle flavour to an image) and a bit of perseverance, I can achieve my version of delicate.

I’ve also been influenced by doug Chinnery whose images are very different – often strong, brightly coloured and geometric – a style which comes a bit more naturally to me – but can be equally difficult to achieve.

In practical terms, when making an image, I think it helps to be able to visualise something in black and white, especially when it comes to overlaying colours. When using either the dark or bright settings in-camera, one needs to know which is going to come out on top. Using the bright setting, means the pixels that are brighter in any of the in-camera layers will show through and obscure the dark ones. Using the dark setting is obviously the opposite. What the eye sees as bright (such as red) may in fact be darker when compared to, say, a vivid green; hence the result can be frustrating and somewhat of a conundrum. So, perseverance is the key.

Shooting in-camera ME images with ICM in RAW has expanded my creativity and given me the facility to ‘construct’ unique images ready for further development using various software applications.