Laura Vanderhorst

Subject X: Cut flowers, with a focus on simplicity and fun lighting.
This a continuation of my current body of work examining the changes of flowers. My goal is to emphasize the individuality of the flower while keeping the compostion and lighting simpler rather than dramatic. I am also exploring how else to photograph a flower instead of the typical commercial style of documentation.


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3 responses to “Laura Vanderhorst”

  1. ntanaka Avatar
    ntanaka

    Hi Laura,

    I’m enjoying your composition, which uses different non-traditional ways of photographing flowers. Especially when the pedals are ripped away it gives a narrative of when people play (he loves me, he loves me not) as a kid. The lighting is very soft and it gives a sense of comfort. As a next step, it would be good to use different flowers and bunch them together. You could also use the microlens and zoom in on the texture of the pedals as an idea to move away from traditional flower photography.

  2. kteeter Avatar
    kteeter

    Hello Laura,

    I love how your Subject X continues to expand on your interests as an artist (I saw your show in Zavitz Gallery and it is awesome!). The soft lighting you have used complements the softness of the flower petals. The pastel pinks and purples also pair beautifully with the white background to give a light, airy atmosphere. My favourite images are the ones where you have divided the flower into segments (the branches cut off and the petals pulled off and lying next to the flower. It is really interesting to see flowers deconstructed into their smaller components. I am also drawn in by how you have left the edges of the white backdrop in the photo. This draws my attention to the act of photographing flowers rather than just the flowers alone. Very original and thought provoking! Perhaps, it might be interesting to let the flowers wilt or even dry out and photograph those textures in close up detail. As Natalie mentioned, I think the micro lens would be a good tool to capture this and abstract the flower further.

  3. mcreedep Avatar
    mcreedep

    Wow!!! This is so so cool I love this soooo much. You took a simple subject and really conveyed so much emotion. These photos feel very comforting, you made every small detail feel very intentional and loaded with meaning. I like how the shapes (the combination of organic and geometric/intentional shapes and lines) and colours (natural colours of the petals, as well as colours created by the light and backdrop) convey gentleness and make the subject look very delicate. I really like the composition of the images that are taken from straight above and how the flowers are laid out, again showing purpose. It’s hard to pick a favourite because I loveeeee so many of them, but I am intrigued by the photo of the flowers shadows. I think you could expand this work by experimenting with more forms of shadow, whether it includes the physical flower in the photo to play with light and shadows they can create, or more photos that only focus on the shadow itself without including what is making the shadow in frame. Good job and good luck !!!! This is so good I can’t wait to see more.

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