flora

Through pinhole photography, Wenda Salomons seeks to visually engage the audience and stimulate dialogue at the intersections of natural and human environments where tension and harmony coexist. She aims to both please and confound by presenting familiar shapes and subjects in unfamiliar settings, and by using pattern and texture to expand perception and relationship. Spontaneity and chance play a key role in the production of her work. She finds kinship and inspiration in the works of other fine art photographers, such as Julia Margaret Cameron and Ralph Eugene Meatyard, who also employ intentional movement while exploring the enigmatic.

Following a significant break in her artistic practice, Salomons picked up her DSLR in autumn 2022 and fitted it with a pinhole lens. With this altered device, she began to explore the shapes, forms, and colours of local flora. She intentionally added movement to the images through holding and moving the camera during long exposures, hoping to capture gestures of the plant forms and the play of light on them. Something of their essence and of the experience of observing and physically connecting with nature was captured. The resulting images are enigmatic, vibrant, and abstracted, while remaining referential to the original subject. Salomons' aim with these images are to invite wider perspectives and experiences into human engagement with natural forms and with nature itself.