Harold Davis's Blog, page 9

Eye of the Artist

Following an appointment at the eye doctor with the usual ocular poking and prodding, I came home inspired to create another composite image based on the photo of my eye!

Eye of the Artist © Harold Davis

Apt Eye

Here are two more Photoshop composites (I call these “Impossible Images”) based on the photo of my left eye!

Aye Tondo © Harold Davis Apt Pupil © Harold Davis

Limiting the Palette

Sometimes a limited palette of colors can actually seem more colorful than a full spectrum of rainbow colors. As a case in point, consider these two compositions, limited to a specific cast of irises and tulips, so essentially two strong colors (with, of course, variations within each color).

Each of the two colors vibrates against the other, and one is swept away in the tidal pool of complementary colors, but with a limited palette. 

Every color can be suggested in a black and white composition. Similarly, when moving away from monochromatic, less can sometimes be more. So consider limiting your colors when selecting your color palette for a chromatic composition!

Irises and Red Tulips © Harold Davis Happy Assembly of Iris and Tulips © Harold Davis

Family Portrait

In December 2023, with Mathew home from college, we engaged portrait photographer Nan Phelps to make a family photo of the six of us. Nan worked the old-fashioned way: with film and a medium format camera. 

I’m pleased with the results, because I think they represent us as we are, not in an idealized and retouched way. Spending the time and resources on this kind of portraiture is, I believe, a gift to our future selves because we are together now, but in the future may not be.

Davis Family (front porch) Davis Family (garden)

Year of the Dragon

In honor of the quickly approaching Year of the Dragon, and since I am a “golden Dragon,” I thought it would be fun and appropriate to post some of my images of dragons.

New Year’s Dragon on Black © Harold Davis

Click here to read about New Year’s Dragon.

Dawn of the Dragon © Harold Davis

Click here to read about Dawn of the Dragon.

Dragon of the Redwoods © Harold Davis

Click here to read about Dragon of the Redwoods.

Temple Dragon © Harold Davis

Click here to read about Temple Dragon. This image was on the cover of my book about accomplishing one’s goals in photography, Achieving Your Potential As a Photographer.

Friendly Sky Dragon © Harold Davis

Click here to read about Friendly Sky Dragon.

Green Dragon © Harold Davis

About Green Dragon: Photographed in the Namba district, Osaka, Japan in November, 2023.

Dragon Bridge © Harold Davis

Click here to read about Dragon Bridge.

Dragon Study A © Harold Davis

Eye (I) Spy

I was walking north from the Oculus in downtown Manhattan along West Broadway. Back in the day, when I lived and worked out of my studio at 18th Street and Broadway, this area of Soho was home to many high-end art galleries. Today, this “best use”of the art gallery real estate has migrated to west Chelsea near the High Line, and “best use” of street level in Soho seems to be brands like Gucci.

Eye (I) Spy © Harold Davis

Along side the fashionista stores on West Broadway I saw the Eye Origin storefront, which offers to photograph your eye, and turn it into “art”. I opted to have my eyes photographed and to take the digital files, as obviously I didn’t need help with printing. Eye Origin told me that I would own my file, and could do whatever I liked with it.

The image above started with the photo of my left eye.

My Photoshop work involved compositing the image in reduced size into the pupil a number of times. I pasted a flower in the center of the innermost pupil, which you can see more clearly by expanding the image.

I believe that Eye Origin started in France, and has stores in Europe in places that are analogous to Soho in New York. 

When I asked, Eye Origin declined to provide any information about the camera, lens, and lighting used. I wasn’t paying much attention to this when I had my eyes photographed. So I can’t give you any information about the technical specifications for the original image, although the rig didn’t look very complicated. 

Photographing Flowers for Transparency | Free Webinar hosted by B&H Photo

Please consider joining me for a free webinar hosted by B&H Photo on February 8, 2024 at noon Pacific Time (3pm ET). Click here for more info, to register, and to view.

X-Ray Floral Medley Fusion © Harold Davis

In this detailed presentation, Harold Davis shows his stunning floral imagery and explains in detail his process for light box photography. Botanical composition, exposure, and post-production will all be explained.

Harold says: “Light box photography is a joy on its own, and is a great form of photography to practice at home with relatively minimal investment in equipment. In addition, techniques that can be learned from light box photography cut across myriad aspects of photography—such as exposure and composition—and will enrich all aspects of your photographic practice.”

Special attention is paid to issues of visual representation, such as chiaroscuro, that have been integral to photography since its beginning, and to fine art painting since the Renaissance. Harold will use his innovative techniques to demonstrate digital techniques that allow the artist to deconstruct and reconstruct the scene in front of the camera, thereby allowing pinpoint control over the final image.

Rhapsody in Tulip

Rhapsody in Tulip is my last 2023 image in the Artfully Random series. As I look back, this image speaks to me with its sense of color and rhythm: a paean to the wonders to be found in so many flowers and gardens.

Rhapsody in Tulip © Harold Davis

Note that the red and purple tulips are resting on a bed of peonies that are partially dried. So one could think of this image as a paean to peonies, or at least peonies as a foil to tulips!

 

Rose Curves Ahead

A bouquet of luscious white roses came home one day. The interior curves of these roses attracted me with their grace and serenity, and I decided to photograph them close-up to create monochromatic abstractions. The first image (above) is at about 1.5:1, so substantially larger than life. Going in closer, I photographed the second image at twice life size (2:1).

Rose Study #42 © Harold Davis Rose Curves © Harold Davis

Some related images: Lost in the Folds of a Rose; Kiss from a Rose; Rose Rose in Rose and in Black and White.

Iris Suite

I have been photographing Irises close-up and personal. Irises are wonderful flowers, and I come back to them quite a bit. With these images, I used a simple setup with a light box for back lighting. In some cases, I used only the back lighting, and in others I added a small LED ring light to illuminate from the front. These images are all fairly extreme macro range, from 1:1 going as close as 2:1, or twice life size.

I am thinking about creating a small portfolio of Iris images.

Iris Window © Harold Davis Spectral Iris © Harold Davis Pillars of Iris © Harold Davis Iris Runway © Harold Davis Iris Yellow Line © Harold Davis Iris Chalice © Harold Davis Iris Stigma © Harold Davis