Featured Artist Steve Slocomb

Floral portraits by Steve Slocomb draw the viewer into an enchanted world of beauty and light. Learn more by visiting his website.

 

 

I’ve had what might be called a long strange journey on the way to finding my voice.

 

 

I left an engineering job where I worked on laser spy systems for jet planes to go to work for the visionary designer Charles Eames. Here I learned all aspects of filmmaking including animation, time-lapse, macro photography, multimedia presentation and documentary, and theatrical filmmaking. Above all, Eames strove for perfection in his imagery, and imbued that in me.

 

 

I then went on to a long stint in Hollywood primarily doing special optical effects on movies such as Star Trek the Motion Picture, Predator, Total Recall, Ghost, Nightmare on Elm Street 6 and White Fang, among others.

 

 

Along the way, I morphed into being a 3D tech expert working on the various Disney 3D theme park films, including the Michael Jackson and Jim Henson projects. I documented everything with “behind the scenes” still photography, often making slide shows that I would show to friends.

 

 

Eventually, after moving to Montana, I began to focus on nature photography. But it wasn’t until four years ago that I really found my voice.

 

 

It came in the form of extreme wide angle close ups of pictures of wildflowers that capture a sort of magical realism.

 

 

I was able to actually include the sun in the photos, and the environment surrounding them. I realized I had stumbled into a unique look that would separate me from other nature photographers.

 

 

I learned how to supplement natural lighting to illuminate the flowers with a wonderful soft light. Never being one to slow down, in the winter I would look through my images taken during the spring and summer, as well as ones I had taken years before. I thought of ways of make them into fantasy composites.

 

 

I could combine several into a single powerful scene of an imaginary world that resonated with adults and children alike.

 

 

As for the future, I can’t possibly say where it will take me, but I am looking forward to the journey.

 

Artist Steve Slocomb invites you to follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

 

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