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Lighting Phodigraphy Photography Toys

Harvey revisited

I guess Harvey was a baby too. This rubber rabbit is shown here with two celluloid children dolls from the 1920s. Well, it’s not really Harvey but these two children celluloid dolls are real and are estimated to be from the 1920s. I love these freehand, painted facial features, since it’s hand-applied and had to be drawn fast, it may express anything from sweetness to sheer horror.

Harvey revisited
Categories
Art Phodigraphy Photography

What is Phodigraphy?

I’ve asked myself for a long time, what is it, exactly, that I do –  trying to focus on what it is and summarizing it in a single word. Let’s see; I’ve been a photographer for the last 25 years and I’ve been doing photo manipulation for myself and others for about 12 years. Through the last 10 years, I’ve made many print designs for different fashion companies and, truly, there’s hardly anything I do professionally where I don’t combine at least some of the knowledge, practice, and techniques of all of the above.

Recently it struck me; I’m a phodigrapher, I create art using traditional knowledge, but also using everything the digital age was kind enough to give me. I combine optics with digital work and brush strokes. If Photography means rendering with light, then Phodigraphy must be rendering with light and digital technology

I  capture bits of reality and present them as I’d like to see them, not necessarily as they are. Be it a mountain, a piece of clothing, a leaf, a jewel, or a cloud. I believe my job is to make everything look better. The piece stays with the observer for a long time because it makes them feel or think. I try to evoke emotions, shooting mostly simple things, with a special touch.

During my last show, I noticed people inspecting my work closely. Some asked me, “How did you paint this?” My reply was, “Well, it’s actually a photograph.” This is why I invented the word for what I do: phodigraphy: I needed it to explain what I do.

I often hear people comparing a beautiful photograph to a painting and vice versa. Well, if that’s where I am, I’m home.