Creating the Blossoming Series I
A problem I encountered during the creation process
This might sound similar to you? When you just started to do something new, like a project or a new hobby that you take on, for example, learning to play guitar, learn a new language, or draw, After your friends and family heard about it, they would keep sending you a lot of ideas they saw on the internet and think, “It’s a good idea, and you should do these tricks too.” And that really made you think, “Perhaps I don’t tell them and keep it myself next time.”
When I just started turning photography from a passion into a career, I used to get pretty annoyed by a friend who kept sending me ideas of what photo I should take in order to get clients. He was all in good intention and wanted to help; he was a great guy, but he just didn’t have good taste. I had to tell him to stop sending me what he thought were “good ideas.”
When my friend in Taiwan, Sabrina, sent me an illustration of a woman’s sensual figure in black and white, she said she loved this kind of abstract of a woman’s figure. I thought, hmm, that looks a bit like my style. It looks like my work, "Awakening." I didn’t feel annoyed this time. Perhaps I have grown and think differently. Sabrina is artistic herself; she would bring a Chinese calligraphy set of paper, a brush pen, ink, and all that stuff when she was travelling in Europe. I created “Awakening” in 2015, so I thought, why not try to mimic the illustration’s lighting in photography and see what I will create? I was trying a few different lighting setups and poses and figuring out what worked best to my liking. I also tethered it to my computer so I could see the result immediately and change my setup accordingly.
The results were very contrasty; the woman looked submerged in the dark background, and only the side line of her body and half of her face were visible. They are in black and white. It was mysterious and sensual; I guess I would have loved it if it were 2015. I feel very different now in 2024. I’m happier than I was, more confident, more assertive, feeling more fulfilled than before, and loving life.
So I encountered a big problem; the images are good, but they don’t resonate with me. What am I going to do with them? Delete them?
In the next post, I will share with you how I battle with the problem and eventually solve it.
Lili Amanda
P.S. Just 6 days before Blossoming Series launches on my website for sale! The prints will be in three different sizes. The original price for an A4 print is €110, and an and an A3 print is €260. There will be 50% off during the 4 days launch (18th Thursday–Monday, 22nd April).