Less can be more.

A few weeks ago, after the holidays were over with I started the daunting task of taking down all my Christmas decorations. Because I love the holidays so much, each year I completely transform my home into a holiday showpiece. I remove almost all of my everyday nick knacks, pack them away, and replace them with the holiday treasures I have accumulated over the years. When I strip that all away my house looks like I am moving out, it is so empty. Each year this gives me the opportunity, when restyling my home, to edit those things that I have acquired over the past year and stream line the focus of the over all design. Part of this comes from my experience as a visual display artist and some of it is a need to keep from being burred under clutter.

When I was going through this process this year I realized that this is very much the same way that I edit my photo illustrations. When I begin a new project I start with the design of the puppets, or characters, then I move onto the set designs. I almost always fill my sets with so much detail that it would be impossible to show it all in one photograph. So when I am setting up the framing of a particular shot I have to decide on what is the most important aspect of that shot and what that plate will need to convey to the reader. I still find myself trying to capture as much detail as I can but that is where the editing process comes into play.

After the photos have been finished I sit down with all the frames and going through them one by one I select those that best enhance the story and will engage the readers imagination. Those photographs are not always the best technically, but they are the best for moving the story along. Sometimes all the detail and attention that I put into a set is lost to the readers eye but I feel that the essence remains and comes through the illustration as an atmosphere and translates into a feeling. So I guess that what I am saying is that sometimes it is not important to focus on something just because you did it (or have it) but to keep your eye on what is important to the story telling process. As the old saying goes, “Sometimes less is more.”

Good luck and keep writing.

Morgan