I’m part of a group of very talented photographers to bring out the “fine art” side of our photography. Most of us are running photography businesses (read: shooting for clients), so this is a creative way to stretch our skills into a different territory. I’ll have a link posted at the end of every fine art post to another photographer in this project. Be sure to show us some love by sharing on Facebook or commenting on the actual post.
So, this is my first fine art project for the next 12 months, and I decided to use an image from the 2011 Flood that my area saw last May. I live near the Mississippi River that borders Tennessee, and to be honest, I’m so very afraid of this powerful creation of nature. So much so, that when I head over to the Tennessee side, I tend to kick up the speed in high gear going over the bridge. I certainly don’t want to be on that bridge should that big earthquake ever hit!
But during the time of the flood, my husband and I went out (on a date, no less) to check out all the damage, on both sides of the Mississippi River. While devastating, it would certainly make one never question the power of God and Mother Nature, and put one in awe at the same time. As we were starting on the bridge on the Missouri side, I asked my husband to stop so that I could get out (yeah, crazy!) so that I could take pictures. Trust me when I say, it was scary, looking out over the bridge to all that crazy water, swirling around. (For those of you unfamiliar with the Mississippi River, it is full of currents, it’s dark and muddy, and their are probably catfish the size of a small car in there. Very rarely does someone survive this river if ever they fall into it, even with a life jacket).
This image was produced looking south of the bridge on a beautiful May day. You can see the trees on the right side of the image which are flooded almost half-way up their trunks. I did a little twist on this image, something I never do, and applied a texture to give it an artistic feel, along with a deep vignette to add to the drama of a flooded river. I can’t wait to complete all of my flood images and showcase them. They all have such power and emotion, especially for those of us who experienced it last year.
.jpg "Flood2011-4703_textureW")
Now, go check out my friend Amanda Eller Photography | Salisbury, NC and her first fine art project of 2012.
Show Hide 12 comments
[...] and if you want to check out another great group of photographers doing fine art friday, start with Southeast Missouri Photographer, Stephanie Greenwell. [...]
this is so moving Stephanie! love the color and texture!!
Catfish the size of a car?? Now I gotta see that
Preferably not with me swimming alongside one! Gorgeous shot, Steph. I like the texture…gives it that muddy, eery feeling that I’m sure you felt that day. xo
Soooooo peaceful looking!
I love the drama of this photo. I can’t wait to see all of your images from the flooding, the power of it always amazes me.
I love this photo Steph! It’s very dramatic! I can’t imagine standing on that bridge!! Good for you.
I have to tell you, one of my worst fears (there are quite a few) is for my car to drive off a bridge into a river. And that is all I see when I look at that! Quiet, powerful water. It’s haunting to me and a great image!!
Beautiful. Something so forceful as a flood looks so calming a peaceful in this image.
What a powerful image and powerful story. Great work!
Such a powerful, powerful image!
Okay, so out looking at flooding is a bit of a strange date, but I LOVE that you did it! Your photos from the flood were so moving. I love the texture and processing on this one. Very dramatic.
Awesome. This shows that you can find beauty in anything, even in times of disaster.