I’ve always liked to experiment with different objects, and pairing disparate items together in ways which maximise their photographic potential is one of my favourite challenges.
Sometimes I get it right and sometimes, no matter what I try, I just can’t seem to translate anything into a good image. Fortunately, the stars aligned for ‘Birth of Colour’.
This very striking, triangular glass vase was a Christmas present from many years ago. I enjoy its interplay of shapes and colours and how the patterns on the rear sides of the vase spill through behind the side you’re looking at, giving extra depth and visual complexity.
One morning I’d placed the vase on the kitchen benchtop, and the bright sunlight streaming through the window, and into the vase, made for a very vivid and intense display of colour.
Wanting to utilise this, I went hunting for something which I thought would be a good candidate to absorb and potentially distort these rich colours. I hit upon this quirky little glass mushroom.
Placing the mushroom in front of the vase, I could see immediately how the vase’s intricate patterning was being reflected. There seemed to be one area, in particular, where the effect was most pronounced.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be concentrated around the tiny air bubble. This was too good to miss! I grabbed my macro lens and started experimenting.
Original image for 'Birth of Colour'
There was much trial and error as I moved myself around, trying to find the best vantage point. Eventually, I discovered that if I got very low and looked almost directly across the top of the mushroom, I could capture the effect of multiple colours slowly oozing out of the ‘dome’ bubble.
Imagining some cosmic, primordial soup at the beginning of creation, I fancied I was witnessing ‘light and colour’ coming into existence and spreading across the universe from this singular and precious point of origin.
‘Birth of Colour’ was ‘born’.