Featured Artist Hilda Champion

Fluid and dreamlike, Hilda Champion’s photographic images convey a sense of serenity. Find more of her work by visiting her website.

 

 

I am a German/American fine art photographer living in Naples, Florida, since 2001. My formative years were spent in Europe, but I have lived a large part of my adult life in South America and then North America, which exposed me to different regional aesthetics.

 

 

My love for traveling has taken me all over the globe (and it still does.) Travel provides ample opportunities to experience different cultures, appreciate the arts, and train my eye to the marvels of this world.

 

 

I prefer to work with available light as opposed to adding artificial light sources. Consequently, I am more of an outdoor photographer rather than indoor.

 

 

My work can be representational, but more often it is not. If you look close enough, you can find always find something new. Practicing photography influences our perception of the world around us. Taking the time to notice what is around us, and how it makes us feel, builds a sense of appreciation and contentment. We reconnect with a world we normally rush through.

 

 

At the same time, photography also comes from the depth of who we are. It is an exploration of ourselves. I am always looking for balance and symmetry in my work and I try to reduce distractions to a minimum. Visual rhythms and harmony are paramount.

 

 

It is my philosophy that in photography, as in life, the most important mathematical concept is subtraction. Subtract all that is distracting and unnecessary, until only the essential remains.

 

 

One of my favorite techniques is layering. Layers upon layers, thinner than an onion skin, carefully aligned and stacked on top of each other. As an example, “Bougainville” was created from 32 different layers, images taken from all sides of the tree. Pixels that are present in each layer add intensity. Pixels that occur in only a few layers create the lightness. Altogether, this produces a very subtle texture. Effectively, this creates a true 2D representation of a 3D object.

 

 

A lot of my work involves manipulating the 4th dimension – time. Leaving the camera shutter open for a long time brings out light that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

 

 

Water becomes a uniform surface, clouds are swept into unpredictable forms by the wind, and hardly perceptible light sources illuminate the scenery from different directions. You see what is impossible for the human eye to see – accumulated time.

 

 

I show my work globally in exhibitions and competitions and have received numerous international awards and accolades. I sell my work in very small limited editions, in custom sizes and finishes, but also offer media licenses and finished artwork for lease.

 

Artist Hilda Champion invites you to follow her on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

 

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