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Bonnie Bruno has spent the past 27 years writing
books and articles, and creating greeting cards for a
variety of publishers. During a three-year stint as a
computing columnist for Newsday, she had the
opportunity to review several digital cameras, and
became hooked on the creative possibilities of digital
photography
Thanks to a grandfather who never ventured out without his camera, her appreciation for nature photography was planted in childhood. She finds exploration and discovery equally as exciting as the artistic process itself, whether it be traveling off the beaten path or exploring photo opportunities in her own backyard. Each piece begins with a search for nature's hidden
treasures-details many people overlook in their
busyness-and selected pieces are digitally hand-
painted using a Wacom Intuos3 Pen Tablet. Her photo
art falls into four categories: Abstract, Lightscapes,
Montage (created with portions of 5-7 photos each),
and Ageless Beauty (images of flowers at various
stages of decomposition).
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Although much of my recent work is digital, I was a
traditional film photographer long before I picked up
my Photoshop/Applemac combo, so most of my work I
describe as "photography-based" digital. I try to
combine the best of my traditional photographic skills
with the almost endless creative possibilities of digital
image manipulation in a controlled and restrained
way. Much of my work is inspired by the sensual and
the surreal, and a desire to impart some simple truth
with clarity and directness, but also to touch a nerve by
focussing on uncertainty, the unexpected, or the
deliberately ambiguous
For the past 3 years I've been selling my work as
limited edition fine art digital prints, in editions of ten
only, and have exhibited widely throughout the UK and
had work featured in many publications, most recently
being featured and reviewed in the British Journal of
Photography (BJP) in November 2000. In 2001 I was
awarded first prize in the Kentmere Awards (digital
section) for my image "The Witness", and in 2002 I
was a merit-awarded finalist in the London
Photographic Awards (LPA.5) for a digital image
created in response to a wonderful poem by Maya
Angelou, "Come And Be My Baby".
I enjoy running an on-line gallery of personal work at
www.pixelsoup.biz where I try to show recent work and
past works together in a banner-free, image-rich and
very easy-to-navigate site while I try hard the rest of the
time to balance my more commercial freelance work
with teaching and writing for a number of publications
and web-based magazines.
My work is strongly influenced by surrealists, Ladybird book illustrations, sci-fi art, Fuel, Hipgnosis, the styles and traditions of 70's & 80's album cover art, 90's advertising, Irving Penn, Francis Bacon, and modern visual culture generally. (ends) |
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Coalson Editions provides fine digital printmaking
services for photographers and giclee reproductions
for artists. Large format exhibition prints and custom
portfolio packages are available on photo papers, fine
art papers and canvas. Owned and operated by
Nathaniel Coalson: professional photographer,
master printmaker and Adobe Certified Expert.
10% discount on your first order when you mention
this ad! For more information visit
www.Coalson
Editions.com
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Ami Vitale attended the University of North Carolina
and took a course in International Studies, before
working for Associated Press as a picture editor in
New York and Washington, DC. She worked overtime
on the picture desk to get enough money to make the
break, initially basing herself in the Czech Republic,
and working around Eastern Europe.
In 1995, she had visited her sister, then working for the Peace Corps in the tiny remote village of Dembel Jumpora in the east of Guinea Bissau. A grant in 2000 from the Alexia Foundation for World Peace, Inc enabled her to return there to photograph in 2001 The opportunity led her to realize that she wanted to
show how the ordinary people of the majority world
live, and to promote a real understanding of other
cultures. Vitale went intending to stay a couple of
months, but ended up living in the village with the
people there for 6 months. She stayed with a woman
and her children in a mud hut, shared their lives,
living, eating, sleeping as they did, and helped in their
everyday tasks (finding an American education and
upbringing had ill prepared her for many of these.)
Since Guinea Bissau, Vitale was based for several years in India, producing memorable work from Kashmir, Gujarat and elsewhere. One of her most surreal works is from idyllic Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir. The shikaras (gondolas) with their posts supporting colored roofs have featured in many travelogues, and she captures them perfectly, reflected in the mirror-perfect water, looking like some fleet of brightly decorated curiously rustic alien space fleet floating above the reflected clouds. Looking in them brings us down to earth with a jolt, as we see the khakis of the Indian border security force, seated guns ready to hand as they set of on patrol. Now based in Barcelona, Vitale also has a contract
with Getty Images, and has worked for a number of
NGOs. Her pictures have appeared in magazines
around the world, including the major US publications
such as Geo, Time, The New York Times, Newsweek,
National Geographic Adventure and more.
Unsurprisingly she also has a very long list of awards,
including the Canon Female Photojournalist Grant,
World Press Photo, National Press Photographers
Association, POY International and many other
awards. One of them was a Magnum grant, given in
honor of Inge Morath (1923-2002), the fine Austrian
There are rare moments when one is able to capture
a vision of the past and a look into the future. I have
been fortunate enough to glimpse a group from the
nomadic Fulani tribe after they settled, became
farmers and now struggle to adapt to a world that has
thrust itself onto them in uncompromising ways in the
West African country of Guinea Bissau.
The Fulani, who once crisscrossed the continent of Africa tending the precious herds of cattle, was a civilization whose renowned physical characteristic was its constant movement. The movement that they were accustomed to spun the threads of a rich social fabric of traditions and rituals, many of which continue to endure today. This is the story of one Fulani family's life; the age-old rites that persist and those that die in an Africa that few can ever imagine. Among the things that sets them apart from most other ethnic tribes in Guinea Bissau is that they are Muslim. Islamic traditions such as female and male circumcision, five prayer times a day, the Islamic calendar and multiple wives are just a few of the traditions that make up the structure of life in the village. Local beliefs and traditions have come together to produce a brand of Islam that is unique to its area and it's people. From the belief of tree spirits to the use of traditional medicine or "voodoo", the mixing of cultures that took place centuries earlier have produced a society that blends a unique spiritual universe with the often brutal day to day existence of the physical world. To an outsider the village may appear to be a place
where people live simply and are struggling to survive.
While part of this may be true, the social hierarchy and
politics among members of the tribe are far more
complex than any modern western society. The village
is a place where people's lives are caught up in a
rigorous power struggle that is influenced by the past,
the present, and the promise of the future. It is a place
where the dead and unborn play powerful roles in the
fate of the living.
In 2001, with the help of the Alexia foundation I was
fortunate to witness this culture working from a
calendar far different from our own. It was my hope to
present a meaningful look into their lives to show the
dignity and humor that exists in their struggle to
provide for their children in a place that can be
unforgiving to the human body and soul.
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Enjoy The Journey!
Sincerely,
Helyn Broadhurst
Pixiport Fine Art Photography
email:
helyn@pixiport.com
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