Featured Artist Delphine Bordas

Photographer Delphine Bordas transforms images from the natural world into an astonishing collection of colorful art. Visit her website to see more of her portfolio.

 

 

As soon as I finished my university studies in Paris, I took a job in the corporate world, which allowed me to live and work in different countries across Europe and Asia. This financial stability allowed me to do what I loved most—to travel, explore nature and practice photography.

 

 

Twenty years later, I left the corporate world and dedicated myself entirely to my art—photography.

 

 

I must admit that it took me those twenty years in the corporate world to develop my photographic style to the point that I was ready to show my work.

 

 

I knew very early on that black and white was the medium that I felt I could express myself best and where I could “render” more than a photograph. Going down that path also taught me to look at color in a different way.

 

 

Two years ago, I embarked on a new series of photographs that were taken in the desert, specifically close-ups of cacti. I found I wasn’t happy with my black and white cacti pictures and started experimenting with color.

 

 

In a tribute to my earlier days in photography, when I developed my own images, I experimented with the inverted color filter, the one that shows you the colors you would see on a negative film. My cacti came alive. They were bright, energized and fun.

 

 

In addition, the images I created amplified how geometrically amazing these plants are. Shadows became highlights, highlights became shadows and a whole new natural world emerged. People viewing my photographs for the first time wondered, “Is this real or is this a painting?” “Did you take this photograph underwater?’ “Is this an infrared photo?”

 

 

They were intrigued. They recognized the familiar shapes of the barrel cactus or the agave plant, but wondered if these photographically altered plants indeed existed.

 

 

My biggest gratification is to see a smile on their faces and a moment of enjoyment. Some people told me they loved the energy they got from them; others liked the relaxed vibe. I also discovered that a lot of people, and I mean a whole lot of people—love the color purple!

 

 

I believe my heart is still in black and white photography, and that this filtered color series is actually a great exercise in working with shade, shadow and light. Photographing nature is what I love best, and I am having a blast photographing its every possible shape and form!

 

Artist Delphine Bordas invites you to follow her on Etsy, Facebook and Instagram.

 

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