stand of trees

Soft Focus Study #2

 Posted on May 11, 2016      by Russ Widstrand
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Russ Widstrand "Soft Focus Study #2" 05/11/16

Russ Widstrand “Soft Focus Study #2” 05/11/16

I have taken to shooting specific scenes of nature purposely soft. That is to say I make the capture in the camera purposely out of focus and I do not achieve this softness via a Photoshop post-process. This is an important distinction, and it speaks to intention, rather than a post-process “after effect”. These soft focus studies are a dedicated commitment at the point of creation.

My reason for this interest in soft focus capture is the over population of traditional nature/ landscape photographs and the resulting banality of the genre that that entails. In other words, there are just too damn many of the them. This deluge of scenic photography forces me to think different, how can I differentiate my artistic voice from the masses of other scenic images and photographers? The answer for me is this unrecoverable technique and its commitment to be something other than “normal”.

The resulting series and this image have an illustrative painterly quality that I enjoy. The soft focus is supported by soft hues of color. The slightest indication of a road brings a touch of reality to the altered state of focus.

This image satisfies my commitment toward a personal voice in photography, one that hopefully is uniquely mine.


Side Trip

 Posted on February 22, 2014      by Russ Widstrand
 2
Oregon Tree FarmAfter seeing Roberts image, “Field of Dreams” for the Daily Photo Game, I immediately knew what I was going to play in response, my image titled: “Side Trip”. This photograph was produced on our first trip to Portland to shop for real estate, after we decided it was time to relocate and leave our Montana house remodel project.
About an two hours east of Portland is an amazing stand of poplar trees, acres of them. Even after driving for 7 hours, upon seeing the tree farm, I was compelled to stop.
As any “significant other” of a photographer knows, this – “I”ll only be a minute” – could actually take hours. My wife Barbara has endured these “side trips” with me for over 25 years. She exhibits a great deal of patience and generosity with her time to allow me to make my art. So this image is dedicated to her, with thanks from a grateful husband. And, as she continues to remind me “Don’t discount the side trips”.
A career in photography has been one continual side trip.
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