When I refer to artistry in photography, I am talking about much more than the composition or the connection between subjects. I am looking at the overall flow of the image, the impact that the image has with the viewer and the sense of an artistic impression being made within the frame. There is so much that goes into creating a piece of art that I want to try to share my thoughts about the image above.
There is an obvious connection between the two subjects. That is an important part of the artistry because of the tension that is observed by the viewer. They are not touching, but they appear to almost be touching. The one puffin has it’s bill open slightly and the other puffin has its head in a submissive downward looking pose as if to accept the affection of the other bird with complete and total trust.
They appear to be the only two puffins around, though there were several others near them at the time of capture-thus the tight crop. This image is not a contest image as it has been manipulated. It is now art, and conveys my artistic impression of the scene.
The darkness that was created in post processing is also an important part of the image as it helps to keep the viewer’s eyes focused solely on the birds and their interaction, almost like a vignette. The fact that the colorful bills bounce the light and are vibrant is another important element of the image as it helps to create depth. I used an old effect called Chiaroscuro to obtain the look I wanted for this piece.
According to Wikipedia: Chiaroscuro, in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition…
In Photoshop I used multiple layers, masks and lighting to convey my thoughts for the image. It was a fun piece to work on and I enjoyed my time at the computer-it was relaxing.