Nancy’s Photographic Vision
For me, photography provides a frame of reference for viewing my surroundings. Through it, I become more sensitive to nuances of color, shape, texture, light and shadow. My favorite photographic subjects are flowers (especially close-ups of small flowers or details of larger ones), landscapes, and animals, but I do photograph other things when they catch my eye. 
I try to capture my subjects from perspectives the casual observer may not always see–or which, sometimes, cannot be directly observed with the unaided eye. In some of my work, I seek to evoke a visual sense–or impression–of a time, place or scene that may never have been real. In doing that, I sometimes seek to blur the sharp edges of reality in much the same way that dreams or distant memories blur them. To render them too sharply would defeat the impressions I seek to create. Such blurring may be achieved either during capture or, later, in image editing software.
I am particularly drawn to Impressionist artworks, with their vivid colors and their suggestion–rather than precise delineation–of detail. On the other hand, I am also drawn to the work of Georgia O’Keeffe–especially her strong, vibrant colors and her large-scale renditions of flowers. I also admire the whimsy in the works of artists such as Alexander Calder.
Following my attendance (2003) at a workshop with Canadian photographers, Freeman Patterson and André Gallant, I began using techniques they taught. In so doing, I have expanded my repertoire of photographic expression. I started using multiple exposures as well as montages of several images in various ways to achieve impressionistic effects.
In early 2006, I began experimenting with pinhole photography–a very early photographic technology using no lens but, rather, a very tiny hole through which light enters the camera. With no lens to focus the light rays, the image is fuzzy (just how fuzzy is determined by the size of the pinhole); however, the entire image is equally fuzzy, no matter how close or distant the subject. Pinhole images possess a nostalgic, dreamlike quality that complemented some of my other soft-focus work. 
More recently, I have used image-editing software to achieve impressionistic renditions of subjects. I have begun to experiment with turning photographs into what I call pseudo-line-drawings, sometimes combined with the original image’s color. Most recently, my experimentation has extended into turning small portions of images into kaleidoscopic images (sometimes referred to as mandalas). In my experimentation with these techniques I strive to create works of beauty and intrigue. But…I also seek to have fun doing it!
(I also have my work posted on Flickr. )
Nancy’s Interview from her MacSpa show in April 2010
Connect with Nancy
Nancy’s latest book
Favorite Websites
