A Walk In The Palm Grove
( An adventure in camera Motion with technique Samples)
Orton Imagery
One of my trademark techniques has been referred to as “Orton Imagery” by two of the writers at Photo Life magazine. This technique originated years ago with my efforts to imitate watercolor paintings by simply placing the images out of focus and if you have seen pen and ink and watercolor combinations, you will understand where the inspiration to add detail comes from. It involved sandwiching two or three transparencies of the same composition together. One slide contains the detail component, in focus and overexposed, the second and /or the third is the color component, out of focus and overexposed. A tripod is essential, as this technique involves manipulating focus and focal length without moving the camera. I used a 70 – 210mm or 28 – 70mm zoom at F4 or F 5.6, creating an image with shallow depth of field to make the first exposure. This image is a controlled amount out of focus (a variable) and exposed anywhere from correctly to two stops overexposed, depending on the image and my intent in the final sandwich. If you bracket the exposure, you will have other choices on the light table.
Next, with my eye to the viewfinder, I slowly bring the image into focus. However, the image is getting smaller as it comes into focus. Therefore, as I sharpen the focus, I must also zoom to compensate for this. If care is not taken, the sandwich can be quite askew with the areas of color not properly indexed with the color and lines.
Since the coming of digital cameras and with the use of Photoshop, there are many variations of techniques to produce similar effects. Adobe Elements included a version of this called the “Orton Effect” in their 2011 version released Sept 2011.
My latest work involves using digital cameras and compound camera motion and changing focal length to paint my version of the landscape. Images vary from abstract to defined images, combining colors as the camera moves. It has rekindled my passion for photographing, using the colors around me to start a fresh canvas.
Original Orton Imagery creation with slides
(see Orton Effect Gallery)