IMPRESSIONIST NATURE

AMY J. MONTICO

// Amy is an American living in the UK. She has worked in television production, which also influenced her love of photography. It is photographic abstractions of reality using various techniques that most fascinate her. We are happy to show you a sample of one of her series, her impressionist abstractions of nature.

“My first camera (which I pinched from my mother) was a Kodak Ektralite 10, and for those that don’t know, it took 110 film, and yes, I’m 110 film old, lol.. My next major move camera-wise was thanks to Canon, when they decided to use Andre Agassi to promote their gear… Fast forward a number of years, I was in need of a hobby to fill my creative need, so I decided to take photography a bit more seriously,” Amy says. Amy´s favourite quote relates to her work as a photographer: As someone who does abstract photography, sometimes there is more making than normal.

“You don’t take a photograph, you make it.”

Ansel Adams

What draws you to the arts?

“I think what draws me to art, is being able to dig deep and create something that is uniquely you. We all see the world differently and our experiences are different, so being able to express that and to let others experience how I see the world is amazing.”

What do you like best about abstract photography such as the images you have shared with us?

“I’ve always loved the Impressionist painters/painting, and the use of multiple exposure gives the same impressionistic feeling to some of my images.“

These images are a progression of different types of abstract photography. Amy loves the idea of being able to create something different with a camera. Using intentional camera movement is a bit like a paint brush in the hands of a painter. “I always wanted to learn to paint, but it was not something I was ever very good at. Wiggling and waving a camera about is, for me, the same as putting a brush to paper,” she explains. “I think the reason I love abstract photography is the free feeling you get making it. One day I was out in front of my house wiggling my camera about and a man cleaning windows said to me ‘I don’t know much about photos, love, but I don’t think you are supposed to move the camera around so much’. I had a good laugh and then showed him what I was doing, which leads me to the second reason, and that is you get to break the rules… to a degree.”

Amy´s techniques include moving the camera and taking multiple exposures at different angles or orientations. It is all about experimenting and trying different things. “Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn´t,” she adds. “but there is something to learn in either situation, plus it’s fun, and frustrating… and fun!”

We love how Amy turns what she sees into impressionist painterly photography, full of the vibrant colours nature (or sometimes the artist´s mind) produces.

Click on the photos to see a larger image. Some images may be cropped for layout.