A Picture’s Worth With Lee Atwell – iPhone Photography & Art
It’s been a while since we published our A Picture’s Worth article and we are so pleased to have a selection to publish over the coming weeks for you to enjoy. A Picture’s Worth… is where we ask iPhone photographers that have taken or made, as the case may be, powerful iPhone art to explain the processes they took. This includes their initial thoughts as to what they wanted to create, why they wanted to create it, how they created it, including all apps used and what they wanted to convey. We also ask these incredible artists to explain their emotions and how the image projects those feelings.
In this A Picture’s Worth … today, Lee Atwell talks us through her incredible image ‘Tulip Woman’ shown below.
(If you would like to contribute to this section or if you have seen an image that you would like to learn more about, just email [email protected] and we will get it all set up).
Over to you Lee…(foreword by Joanne Carter).
‘Tulip Woman’ – ©Lee Atwell
‘It is such an honor to be asked to share my reflections on this photo – with heart-full gratitude!
It was the opening weekend for ‘The Tulip Festival’ in the Squat Valley, one hour north of Seattle. Usually not the best time to be taking photos as the crowds can be overwhelming, however, it was a very stormy day and I assumed that would keep most people away. There was also a chance that the inclement weather could provide dramatic cloud formations and light.
When I arrived at the tulip field, it was indeed deserted, except for half a dozen or so hired workers picking tulips in the pouring rain. I ventured into the muddy field wearing knee-high rubber boots, carrying an umbrella (which was quite challenging as the wind was so strong), and my iPhone. Hunkered under my umbrella squatting in the mud to take photos of the rain-soaked color-palette field and the workers in their drab hoodies and rain gear, I was soon quite rain-soaked myself. At times like this I often wonder if I am crazy 🙂
After an hour or so, shivering with frozen hands, and worrying about my iPhone getting damaged from the moisture, I was just about to leave, when the rain suddenly stopped and a sari dressed woman appeared with her husband to take photos, seemingly out of nowhere. She was like a vision to me – her bright green and magenta silky sari glowing against the mud and rain soaked tulips, as if she like the tulips, had emerged and bloomed out of the mud. I couldn’t help think of Buddhist philosophy that speaks of how lotus flowers (pure consciousness) rises out of the mud of our murky minds.
The couple asked me to take a picture of them both in the field and in that short exchange, the woman’s sweet and warm presence was palpable.
Her appearance was so reminiscent for me of the time many years ago that I spent in the jungle region of southern Nepal at which time the golden mustard fields were in full bloom. The women working in the fields there wore jewel-colored saris and the saris’ colors against the golden fields were an image that has stayed with me to this day.
Seeing this particular woman enter the field took me right back to that time and the experience felt transcendent for me. As I took her photo I felt a deep connection to the present moment (to her, the mud, the tulips, the rain, the light), while at the same time taken back inside my memories.
What I love when I view photographs (whether gazing for a long time or even while more quickly scrolling through pics on social network sharing sites) is their ability to touch the soul, to evoke strong feelings and to enable the viewers to transcend out of their normal way of seeing – perhaps of viewing the world, perhaps their relationship to it, perhaps themselves.
Because the original photo of the woman appeared drab to me, I wanted to bring warmth and more contrast to the colors and bring out the golden tones reminiscent of the fields I saw in Nepal.
My hope is that the viewers, too, will be transported to another time and place, real or imagined, within themselves. And also, that the warm tones of the photo will emphasize the spirit of the tulips and the sweetness of the soul of the woman’.
Process
Process:
Original photo iPhone 4 GS
Snapseed to straighten the horizon.
Distressed FX (‘karma’ and ‘finch’ to add a golden glow and soft texture).
ModernGrunge (to add a subtle frame).
Photocopier (‘Munch – The Scream’) for more of a painterly quality.
ProHDR (to fine-tune the light and color).
15 Comments
JQ Gaines
I just love Lee’s work!!! Thank you so much for sharing her with us 🙂
lee atwell
thank you so much for your kind words, JQ! it means so much!
Davide Capponi
Beautiful show and story, Lee and Joanne!
lee atwell
thank you kindly, Davide!
Thomas
Well done! Used to live 10 minutes from the tulips – beautifully caught!
lee atwell
a special place to live close to, Thomas! thank you very much!
lee atwell
Heartfelt thank you, Joanne! Very honored to be included on your wonderful site! <3
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Janine Graf
Now this is a wonderful story!
lee atwell
thank you so much Janine!
Catherine
The photo is simply beautiful on it’s own, but has such a rich meaning accompanied by your story. Fabulous Lee!! <3
lee atwell
thank you very much Catherine! your words mean so much <3
Sharon LuVisi
Can this image be any more beautiful?!? This is absolutely why I continue to pick up my iPhone…I am always hoping that I can someday achieve a photograph as lovely as this.
lee atwell
very touched by your comment, Sharon… thank you!
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