Yesterday was the kind of day that demands a bowl of cereal be eaten at 10:30 pm. We were away from home helping with a family move. Moving van, boxes, furniture, pictures, and so much more tired us out. Put a fast paced crawling baby into the equation and well, you can probably imagine our collective non-stop motion.
When nap time finally came, I stole away to a quiet corner. Flipping through my worn copy of Henry Horenstein’s manual “Color Photography” I came across a stereo image by Auguste and Louis Jean Lumière circa 1899 titled Still Life of Fruit. Struck by the soft yet rich colors and textures in their image, I set up and shot this still life with my Polaroid Spectra.
The Lumière Brothers are known for their innovative work in photography and motion pictures. They experimented widely with various photographic processes before launching Autochrome, the first commercially viable color process that was used until the 1930s. For their stereo image, the brothers used gum bichromate and applied the color by hand using individual layers of an emulsion including gum arabic, potassium bichromate, and colored pigment.
When everyone woke, we set back to work. As we rearranged pictures and objects, I imagined a series of these photographs taken in each of the colored rooms. What is it about visiting another place that opens your eye to endless possibilities? Next time, we’ll bring extra fruit.
Nikki | Art & Lemons
I think that when we visit somewhere new, we are forced to see more than we usually do in order to figure out our own place in a new landscape among strange people – which direction are we going, where are we safe/unsafe,and so on. I love how you took full advantage of this with your still life – the painterly quality of that image is so, so gorgeous.
So true about shifting perspective when we’re in a new place/environment, Jenny! That’s one of the reasons I love to travel. Thanks for your sweet words.
beautiful. and I echo what Jenny says about seeing…
Vanessa, It’s so fundamental to all of our images, seeing and being open to seeing. That’s the challenge though: staying true to the moment. Thanks, lady.
Oh what a wonderful story! And definitely bring some more fruit!
and possibly veg 🙂 x
I love how this image evokes the paintings of the masters in my mind’s eye. Lovely 🙂
I’m so inspired by the classics right now which keep coming through in my new work 😉