Imaginary Boats

otherwise known as Allan’s experimental photography

“Get dirty.”

That’s how the instructor in my first ever photography class described the process of becoming a better photographer. She was adamant that we should take risks, try new things, experiment with styles, techniques, and subject. Make mistakes, see what works and doesn’t. It’s the only way you are going to develop your own aesthetic, she said.

Well, that was last summer, and since then I’ve made many, many mistakes. But I do think she’s right. If we are only trying to cater to the expectation of that which constitutes a pretty photograph, deemed as such by a metric of mass appeal, then really, what’s the point?

Above

The image above plays non traditionally with light, grain, transparency, and intentional double exposure.

Below

Both images focused on color alteration, an intentional double exposure, and multi-layered transparency.

Out of an ever growing archive of mistakes, I kind of like these.