Nostalgia
Dive into the bitter sweet journey of Nostalgia
Nostalgia is one of our all time favourite emotions. We all love looking back on happy photos from our childhood, recognising a toy or item we held an affinity to, a book or even a scent from when we were younger. Going places we used to go or doing things we used to do back in the good old days. Going back can be one of our favourite past times.
There is a page I follow on social media which reflects on 70’s and 80’s childhoods, I love it. The photos I see jog my memory and I have a good laugh reminiscing with my siblings about the things we used to like and do. It seems like almost a lifetime ago. Our old memories are still tucked away in there in the back of our minds sometimes we just need help to access them.
For the past 17 years I have been a family photographer providing family portraits for expecting parents, new parents and parents documenting their fsmilies as they grow rapidly. As a parent one of my favourite things to do is look back on our old family photos. Being so busy at that time of our lives it’s really hard to retain all of those beautiful connections and details. I find it difficult to believe my now 16 year old once fit along my forearm only and I could hold her head in just one hand.
I find it amusing to see how young I was back then, just a baby myself. Even though that person is very different to the person I am now, I still love that version of me and wish I knew more about life as I do now.
Looking back
Looking forward is mysterious, looking back is a treasure. Ageing is a privilege denied to many and it’s so important to look back every now and then so we can see just how far we have actually come.
Nostalgia can be bitter sweet bringing us both happy and sad emotions. We can look back with happiness but in the same breath feel sadness for a wonderful time that has now passed. The colour purple is a mix of blue and red. Blue being a cool colour and red being a warm colour, purple gives us a significant and powerful blend of the two colours that balances them both and finds a beautiful middle ground.
Purple is luxurious and encouraging, mature and wise. Purple offers the energy of preciousness and reflection. Respect and intelligence. Spirituality and independence.
A perfect purple
The gorgeous rose I had in mind for this artwork held the most beautiful shade of purple. Not too light, not too dark with the perfect balance of red and blue, warmth and coolness this rose was all I needed for the colour psychology in this story.
Searching through the geometry I could see how the story was about to present itself. This particular bud was just beginning to open so a little assistance in the unfurling process softly placed layers of petals flowing from the heart like chapters of a book radiating from its core.
I kept the focus soft with this one. Having a really shallow depth of field or depth of focus gave the photograph a beautiful ethereal look, almost a glow as the sharp focus fell away into a blur of soft purple valleys of a deeper tone resembling the depths of our memories and the crevices that hide those more elusive memories. Some memories in our life reside closer to the surface than others depending on their impact and how long ago those memories were made.
Nostalgia’s photographic story
Find me reminiscing, blissfully indulging in traces of sentimental recollections.
Find me in the reverie between yesterday and today, beneath the surface of current existence.
Find me in that dimension, where all that is, calls me to stay. Just for a little while, to feel it all again, to let the light in.
I love her story. This artwork with it’s beckoning waves calls us in, inviting us to allow ourselves the time to go back and immerse ourselves in our past. Each petal of memories leads us to leap to the next working our way to the sharp focus at the heart of the rose where our fondest memories reside. Reaching those memories that live in our heart as well as our memory.
The colour psychology of purple also offers an energy that reminds us of the possibility of dreaming. Looking back on fond memories is a beautiful experience, though the colour purple holds space for us in the reminder to dream, showing us that while lots of wonderful experiences are behind us, there is also a lot to look forward to with many more beautiful memories to be made down the track in the future. We don’t always know where life will take us but purple in itself is inspirational and allows us to dream.
My lighting set up is very simple
I have always worked with natural light, I think I always will. It’s hard to replicate with artificial light and to be honest there is just no need for anything but natural light with the way I work. Each and every photo in The Humble Hunter portfolio has been taken with natural light using my macro lens I don’t think I will be breaking this aspect at all.
Natural light is incredibly flattering. I have used it in my work for the past 20 years, I don’t even own a flash! The sunlight was hitting my window directly the day I took this photograph. I stayed close by the window and diffused it to soften the contrast and strength of the harshness direct sunlight brings. Having the light fall harder on the right side was fine as I wasn’t working in that section of the rose. The section I was photographing had gentle highlights sweeping across the tops of the petals giving dimension and keeping those deep, dark secret areas of the rose, and our memories in tact.
This rose was honestly perfect. No spots, no damage and no tiny creatures crawling out mid shot. That actually sometimes happens! The photograph was absolutely perfect in camera so from here, my work was complete.
I hope you enjoy Nostalgia and the stories and emotions it brings as much as I enjoyed creating it for you.
Thank you so much for being here,
The Humble Hunter x
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