A Picture’s Worth With Lee Atwell – iPhone Photography & Art

‘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:

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).