Hipstamatic flowers

 

Advances in technology have had a huge influence on the creative industries. The software tools I have available today and the ease of communication make producing work for clients quicker, easier and less prone to errors.

 

But this is no substitute for clear and original thought, a good eye, impeccable craft skills and attention to detail. The slickly-produced product of the digital world can also be seen as soulless and clinical which has fuelled the resurgence of interest in less predictable techniques.

 

This desire for a more human feel is particularly apparent in lettering. Woodblock type printed on small presses is becoming more common again as is type produced by folding paper, letters that are sewn, and of course the handwritten-scrawl. But these are not used in isolation, they sit side-by-side with digitally produced type to create a richer, more varied palette to work with.

 

The same is true for photography. Although I have a perfectly decent digital camera, I will more often than not reach for the Hipstamatic app on my phone. This mimics the qualities of different analogue film stocks and cameras. It eschews the slickness of the digital image in favour of quirkier pictures, not perfectly focussed or exposed but undoubtedly more ‘human’ and characterful.

 

I've found that one combination of lens and film stock works particularly well for photographing flowers, increasing the contrast and exagerating the colours.

 

The exagerated colours worked really well defocused
for the backgrounds to the text on the magnets in my Context in Everything exhibit for the Hopes + Dreams exhibition.

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