Scanner Photography / Scanography / Scannography
Photography documents the ephemeral. Throughout history, photographic processes have uniquely served the photographer's intention. I have used the flatbed scanner as a camera since 1997, preferring the dramatic, detailed, three dimensional look resulting from scanning objects at high resolution. On occasion, a small scanner connected to a laptop computer is used at a garden side location. The usual method is to bring objects and plants to my home studio. Typically, arrangements are placed upside down on a large format photo scanner. Delicate yet heavy items are suspended to rest gently on the glass platen. Items may be propped up or weighted down as necessary with anything handy. My "Fine Art" photographs are not digitally assembled from separate scans, although I have composited scans for commercial assignment. Using Photoshop, adjustments are made to color, tone and sharpness. Lint, smudges and haze on the glass are digitally removed. The intent however, is to never retouch the image past the point of being true to life. Preservation is encouraged through the use of archival printing media.
Inspiration for my work comes from Victorian botanical illustration, particularly "Language Of Flowers" bouquets, collections and Dutch and Flemish still life painting. Mostly, my images are souvenirs of a grower's garden and of the day. Lately, I have also been exploring concepts of gravity, containment and release.
Probably the most rewarding aspect of this project has been my dependence on others
for natural materials to scan. Friends, family, neighbors and even people I hardly know,
invite me to pick and use their flowers and vegetables for my work. Membership in a local
farm market is another treasured resource. I have been invited to raid chicken coops,
taking feathers and eggs. Nest and shell collections have been lent. I am very grateful
for this collaboration and for a sense of community with so many generous gardeners and
farmers, all of us custodians of nature's beauty.