Looking Back, Dreaming Forward
"Stories of my own invention" Jane Long
"Dancing with Costică" series by Jane Long
In her Dancing with Costica series, Australian artist Jane Long has created more imaginatively surreal compositions by digitally restoring, colorizing, and manipulating black-and-white photos captured over 50 years ago. The series came about when Long was looking for a way to brush up on her retouching skills. After discovering the Flickr archive of Costica Acsinte, a Romanian war photographer who documented WWI and passed away in 1984, Long was inspired to work a little Photoshop magic on the subjects of the old snapshots. In her words: “I wanted to bring them to life. But more than that, I wanted to give them a story.” (mymodernmet)
See
Say
Long discusses the lack of smiles in old photography. “Before, people rarely smiled in photos, but that doesn't mean they didn't smile or feel love. I wanted to incorporate these feelings into my images.” (Cultura Inquieta)
Is she successfully adding lightness and love to these updated images?
Which image are you most surprised by?
Which do you like best?
Is it ethical for her to reuse images of people she doesn’t know to create her art? Why or Why not?
Do
Look through old photographs (yours or ones you might find at an estate sale or antique shop.)
Re-photograph, print, and alter them to create a story for the characters. Try adding color or collaging a surreal scene.
If you have access, use Photoshop to transform an image.
About Jane Long
Photographer and digital artist Jane Long was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1970. Currently based in Brisbane, Australia, she combines photography and photomanipulation to create surreal images that straddle the line between reality and fantasy.
Completely self-taught, she has worked with Photoshop since 1994, both commercially and for personal work. More recently, she has delved wholeheartedly into photography, concentrating on conceptual work. However, digital art remains a passion and forms an integral part of her work. (lensculture)
jane long photography
info@janelong.com.au
www.janelong.com.au
www.facebook.com/janelongphotography
www.instagram.com/jane_long_art
Please share your reflections with me by replying to this post or posting and tagging my Wonder Wander Facebook or Instagram pages!
