Love…Defined by Madelyn Herring
Madelyn Herring: I became interested in photography at the age of 19 when my older sister was taking a journalism course. She had the most beautiful Minolta 35mm SLR. It was a short time later that my mother bought me my first SLR, a Pentax K1000 with a 50mm lens. And with that $25 used camera, I was hooked. What makes my work different from mainstream photography is my old twin lens camera. The method of Photography that I most often choose to do is referred to as ‘Through the Viewfinder’. I am literally shooting my photograph through the viewfinder of my twin lens camera. This produces a photograph that is truly unique. It has a distinct look of vintage photos - rounded corners, soft focus, specks of dust and dirt. The black borders are a part of the photograph and are visible. It’s a way for me to blend old vintage charm with new technology. The photographs created with this technique can be quite stunning.
I have a collection of ‘vintage’ cameras that I use for a variety of work, be it landscapes or weddings. It’s not enough for me to have them sitting on a shelf. I need to use them, see what type of photos they can create. By using them, I feel a connection to history, to photographers of previous generations, to photography itself. For me, it strips away all the modern technology and changes not only my photographs but how I view the world around me.
Samples of my work can be seen here: flickr.com/photos/highlandghillie and highlandghillie.etsy.com
