The OPTIGASM SERIES is something I was doing in photography before I got into Adobe Photoshop. It is a destructive version of photography.
I was taking my Black & White negatives and staining them with any kind of coloring.
I used magic markers, make-up, medications ,dyes, food coloring, varnish and watercolor, along with items to scratch the emulsion.(Scratching the negative emulsion was the way I could get black into the images).
The concept is very exciting, yet, it doesn't want to be controlled. Many of my fellow students have attempted the process, but gave up because the results were less predictable than expected. The unpredictable aspect is actually the best part of the process.
I have since seen the concept in Photography books listed as 'cliche ver'.....; I think the phrase Cliche -Ter might be a better translation(?) (TO DRAW ON THE NEGATIVE).
The word optigasm is my own .
Being in a gallery show demanded all images be titled...(...I don't like forcing the viewer into my words) ...I named each image "Optigasm" and followed that with a number. It met their needs and gave the English language one more word that's not going to be in a dictionary, nor in a spell-checker.
I know that listing this page on the internet will expose this word to more people who will like it and use it themselves- please don't forget that you saw it here First! Have fun with it!
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Optigasm#625 Cannon and walkway toward Tour du Port at Club Med in Ste.Anne, Martinique, F.W.I. |
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"The Room"....an optigasm of the interior of a room at Club Med in Martinique. This image was a money winner at my college's Art Competition. |
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Balcony view looking toward the back of Tour du Port. |
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This shot was made as I surfaced from a free-dive in Guadaloupe. Three windsurfers had decided that my Diver Down Flag was a suitable turn-around marker! Not knowing any French swear words, I couldn't yell at them for endangering my life. Being a photographer dictated I get the shot. I'm no longer angry at them; I love the image! |
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This is the beach at Club Med Moorea. Moorea is in the Society Islands, French Polynesia........next to Papette which is refered to as Tahiti. Having taken eight vacations at this resort, I can recommend it to everyone! Beautiful Island, great food, great diving, good value for the dollar and a very cosmopolitan crowd from around the world. |
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This is an outdoor courtyard near the photo lab at school. Used to be a nice quiet outdoor area where I could Light up my pipe and contemplate . Whelp, the self-righteous people couldn't have that. We now have a yellow line fifty feet from the exterior door that we can't smoke within. Folks, can't we just get along? The courtyard sits there vacant. I thought adults went to college. |
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The end of the SCUBA training pier. |
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The freighters which go overhead during our diving in the Ste. Claire River are huge. To counteract their size, I used a very big negative.......8" x 10" ! |
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Civil War camp. |
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Grant Park in Chicago. |
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Hot air balloon. This image was shot using 4"x5" sheet film. It was E6 film developed as if it were c-41. I still added some false colors for effect. |
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The Lotus Gallery.....Shot with a pinhole camera. |
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A Balcony overlooking Noisy Beach and the ball field at Club Med in Martinique, French West Indies. |
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This image I used as a postcard from Tahiti. The original image was shot on a 35mm camera. Made a small print and rephotographed that image onto another negative to color on. Adobe Photoshop was used to tie it all together. |
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Pencils taking on a new life. |
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When Nature calls. |
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Edge of a river. |
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Rails in Chicago. |
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This is a work area in the Photo Lab at Oakland Community College in Royal Oak, Michigan. Large Format (8" x 10") Black and white negative in a pinhole camera...... exposure time around three and a half hours. |
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