Last Updated on 06/24/2023 by Chris Gampat

“Humanity needs to create to feel alive, and so if you give over that expression to AI, then you’ve deprived yourself of that much living,” expresses photographer Christy Lee Rogers to the Phoblographer in an interview when asked about AI imagery. “The narrative in my work is always first about being human, searching for something we all want to find, that we know is there but we can’t seem to know about it because It’s beyond (the) comprehension of the mind. That can give you either freedom or can feel like a trap.” At the same time, she believes that the unknown place is very native to us as human beings. This idea is explored through many of her images, which remind us of Baroque paintings.

All images by Christy Lee Rogers. Used with permission. Please check out her gallery, Website, and Instagram for more.

How Christy Lee Rogers Got into Photography

When Christy Lee Rogers first got into photography, she tells us that the disposable camera was a young deal. This was when he was younger — specifically referencing that she was 16 years old. That’s when she became her high school boyfriend’s muse for photography. “He developed everything himself in the make-shift developing room he created in this tiny bathroom,” she recounts. “As a gift, he gave me my first camera, which was an old Nikon 35mm from a garage sale.  That year I enrolled in a photography class in high school, and it was the most invigorating hour of my whole day.” Christy was always into the various arts because she found them a reprieve from the otherwise monotonous and boring days at school.

Image-making overtook Christy when she was young with a power that she hadn’t felt. It was alluring.

“I now know that these art forms saved my life.”

She kept shooting photos and stashed them away — even throwing away the negatives, much to the horror of some of our readers currently eyeing this sentence. Then, she got into underwater photography and experimenting with water. She did everything by eye. She didn’t use light meters, proper lights, etc. Today, she’s known for this style of work after the release of her Siren series in 2008.

To make these images, Christy Lee uses a Canon 5D MK III and a Fujifilm GFX 100. “In an experimental fashion, lights change for me from shoot to shoot, but my rule is to keep it as simple as possible,” she explains. “Recently, I’ve started using colored lights and underwater flashlights across the surface of the water to accent certain areas or parts of the body. These are my main tools, but I’m open to experimenting.” In fact, experimenting and being open to the unknown is a major part of her creativity.

Some photographers need clear, consistent planning and direction. But Christy Lee needs experimentation in combination with some up-front planning. Like the famous chef Francis Mallmann, she embraces the idea of mystery. “There’s an uneasiness I experience before each shoot because of this unknown; and it keeps me on my toes — keeps me sharp,” she tells us — further emphasizing its necessity. “And it really hurts, but now I’ve grown used to it, so I know that I always make it through. Yes, some of the final photos are serendipity, but I don’t really believe that it was not there to begin with.” Christy says that her and her team needed to cut loose and let go to find those picture-perfect moments. And the up-front planning is key to reaching the final destination.

When you experiment, you have to start by acknowledging that there are things you don’t know. You have to let yourself be vulnerable, while at the same time being sharp and alert. I’ve learned over the years to trust my instincts, to sculpt what I see immediately without too much distraction from my mind. And I’m okay with being wrong about things, as that is inevitably part of the process. You have to make the mistakes first before you can learn. But I would say that when you’re creating from the heart you can’t go wrong; everything is meant to be.

On a Shoot

On shoots, Christy references notebooks that she’s kept throughout the years. They are a treasure trove of ideas, concepts, etc.

“Everything is magical under water, and so I start out knowing that my concepts will be interpreted first by the water,” she explains. “Each collection is an extension of myself, and my need for knowledge about humanity and the universe around us in which we live. There will always be a central concept that I base everything around, and I form this concept from my notebooks.” Christy makes her notebooks sound like Leonardo Da Vinci’s — which were famously very difficult to read so that she protected his ideas. However, we cannot confirm nor deny that she does this. But considering her work, we all have to admit that it’s fun to think about! 

Before her shoots, she goes over the process with each model — discussing things like body positioning in the water, lights, etc. She purposely doesn’t explain the details until the day of because then, otherwise, models tend to overthink the process. Christy wants models to use their own imagination and feel the freedom to represent their ideas of the main concept.

During the shoot, she and her team start to experiment and problem-solve. Each model reacts differently in the water. “I want to make sure that they can overcome these difficulties organically and in a way that’s right for them,” Christy explains to us. “We build on this process as I direct them through the whole thing.”

She continues to state that these are “normal people,” and she teaches them as things progress. Of course, it’s a challenge — and the feeling of being vulnerable is real too. After a while, the shoot organically grows and bears fruit worth picking in the digital darkroom. For Christy, one of her biggest challenges is working through her own anxiety and trying to one-up herself over and over again. Additionally, there’s all the things that happen when in the water. Controlling the elements is tough for her. “Everything I do in the water is very experimental in nature and involves precision in directing the models, light, fabrics, and movement,” she states. “It involves patience and trusting my instincts at every moment. It’s not like anything I’ve ever done before.”

Feelings on AI Imagery

Creating images like this could be difficult for an AI to do without the right prompts. But Christy Lee demonstrates the potential of humanity with her photography. She sees the allure of AI, but states that it uses the past and composited images into something else.

An artist endows their art with life, and without that there is nothing but a pretty picture devoid of human feelings, romance and emotion.

Transparently, she’s not a fan of using it. “I think that sitting on my couch while AI makes my art would be depressing, but I’m excited for those experimenting with it to see what is possible,” she tells us. “I never rule out anything, and I’m all about experimenting with the unknown. But in the end, the journey is the real reward, and the mistakes along the way lead to the final achievements.” Christy believes that AI is amazing in the science world. But in the art world, it falls flat with her. 

“I can always appreciate a beautiful image, but the story is what inspires me. “

One of my photography goals this spring was to capture a mother goose on her nest the day the goslings were hatched. It was not an easy task as the nest had to be in a location that was close enough to the road for me to use my vehicle as a blind. This would also allow me to condition the goose to my presence and she would become comfortable with me nearby in the vehicle. The other hard part was that goslings leave the nest about 24 hours after hatching, making timing a critical factor.

Geese usually nest on an “island” in the water, such as a muskrat house, where it is easier to defend and protect from predators. They usually hatch out in 28 days and after one day abandon the nest, never to return.

I spotted three nests near the road, and they were pretty much free of vegetation that would obstruct a good, clear shot. Two of the nests hatched and the geese left before I could try to photograph them.

The third nest was not too far from my house, so I could check it more often. Sometimes I parked nearby for awhile just so the goose would get used to my presence and act naturally. After a time she recognized me and would actually fall asleep with her head up while I was there. The gander also quieted down and quit honking and threatening me whenever I stopped by.

I had just returned from some errands and drove down to check the nest. Bang! There were three cute little yellow goslings next to the mother goose on the nest.

The lighting conditions were not good — I had to shoot into the evening light, which switched from overcast to sun constantly — but this was my chance.

The goslings quickly scooted back under mom for warmth and to snooze. The gander stood guard next to the muskrat house upon which the nest was made, and neither parent showed any alarm at my close presence.

Knowing the goslings would periodically come out from underneath mom and romp around her, I settled in for the wait. My hope was to eventually catch one of them poking his head out from between her body and wing.

As I sat in the comfort of my car (no hard seat or cramped blind today!) I thought about some other good shots I got from this spot while preparing the parent geese for my appearance. One morning as I pulled up to the spot, a little green heron flushed from the cattails and landed in a nearby tree. He stayed long enough to allow me a few good images. The next day he did the same thing and I got better shots.

Another day while “training” the geese, I saw a yellow flash in a bushy red maple tree between the goose nest and me. It was a yellow warbler looking for food in the tree. He darted around, making it almost impossible to get a good shot, but patience won out, eventually.

Then, suddenly, another bird showed up and the yellow warbler chased it off. Lucky for me it came back and turned out to be a yellow-rumped warbler, a bird I had not previous seen. It too eventually gave me a few good shots.

Other birds such as turkey vultures, ospreys, red-winged blackbirds and great blue herons also gave me good shots from this spot.

The morning after I photographed the goslings, I returned to that spot hoping to catch them again before they left, but with better lighting. As it turns out, I did, and I got better shots.

There was one egg left that I could see when the mother goose got up. The three goslings got very active and wanted to explore and so she covered that last egg (which I think was not fertile) and they left the nest that was on the muskrat house.

The parents brought the goslings up to the road edge, by me, to let them pick at insects and dirt. I felt privileged to witness this with the parents acting like I was not there. That is what makes nature photography so worthwhile for those of us who enjoy it and its challenges.

• • •

The snapping turtles are finishing their egg laying process, which has been ongoing since the beginning of the month. I have never seen so many snapping turtles in the Alabama Swamps, and their average size is much bigger, too. I believe the state needs to adjust its management plan on these guys soon or our local waterfowl production is going to take a big hit. Snapping turtles take a lot of young waterfowl and even the adults.

Dressed in matching golden shorts to signify their brotherhood, and helmets to symbolise protection, siblings Ibrahim, Nana Kofi, Benjamin and Kojo were smiling down the lens of Derrick O Boateng’s iPhone 12. The Ghanaian photographer was in Nungua town, in the capital, Accra – one of his favourite communities to shoot in. “There are always all sorts of cool things happening there: the busy market, kids on the beach, people fishing or playing football,” he says.

Bold colours are typical of his work; he coined the term Hue-ism to “create a bigger podium for artists like myself, painting with the colours of the continent, creating colour therapy and visual poetry showcasing the African perspective.”

He has never used a digital camera for his work, preferring his smartphone for its convenience. “It’s always ready for me to get great shots,” he says.

In the editing stages, he incorporates the “rich, deep colours I find everywhere, from our markets to our beaches to our homes, under the hard light that is Ghana”.

WEST BEND — The West Bend Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting for Judith Dineen Photography at its office in West Bend, 304 S. Main St., on Friday.

The ribbon-cutting was held to celebrate Judith Dineen Photography, owned by Judith Dineen, joining the WBACC.

Dineen specializes in portrait photography and does shoots at her home, on location and at a studio she has the ability to rent in Germantown.

“I love working one-on-one with people to bring out them in their pictures and have them feeling good about themselves,” said Dineen. “It’s all about positivity, empowerment and loving what you see when you look at your images, and not hiding anymore.”

Get daily updates from the Daily News sent directly to your email inbox.

SIGN UP

She added that she doesn’t do events or weddings, just portraits.

“That’s a bit too much for me,” said Dineen. “I like working one-on-one, because I don’t like missing my shot. I got to get my shot, if I miss it I feel awful and it just eats away at me.”

For those interested in having a portrait done by Dineen, visit her Facebook page at tinyurl.com/3ayu3y8b to see some examples of her work. You can also visit her website, at judithdineenphotography.com.

To contact Dineen to set up a time and place for a photo shoot, email her at judithdineenphotography@ gmail.com.