Mental Margarita - White Dogwood

I heard this great thing about considering new avenues. If you feel really good about it, and it feels like the right thing, then do it. If you have no strong reaction, don't do it. If you resist it... do it. There's something for you there.

Last summer I saw a photographer's work who also does nature shots on canvas. But she shot them with a black background in her studio, taking them out of their natural element. They looked amazing. But I was jealous. She was cheating! It's much harder to get the light right, to get that great shot when you're outdoors.

But her images stuck with me, and I've been pondering ever since. My favorite images that I had made were the ones where there was very little background from the subject, like this calla lily which has become my signature shot. So I finally gave in to the nagging impulse to try it myself. To "cheat." Most of the new images on my site were taken in the studio (by which I mean a light box on my desk but it sounds much sexier to say "in my studio"). Please go to fotos de karina - new to see the latest images.

It's still a new avenue for me, and one in which I will continue to grow, but so far I'm really feeling it. It eliminates the challenge of rain, wind, or shifting light. I can do long exposures, allowing for deeper focus. I can backlight or toplight, really play with the formula for evoking all the beauty my subject is offering up. Oh, and it's fun.

Your feedback is very welcome and appreciated - thanks!