4. Tom Chambers

Tom Chambers statement ~

I build my images, starting with an idea and converting it to a sketch that I follow to create the final image. I photograph the different parts of the final image separately with a medium format camera using transparency film. This film is scanned at a high resolution. The scans are seamlessly combined using Photoshop software on a Macintosh computer to create a file of the final image. The file is then printed onto watercolor paper using archival pigment inks.With time, adolescents begin to abandon the natural, untamed state of childhood for the artificial pretenses of adulthood. After my own daughter's arrival at the complexities of her sixteenth milestone, this juxtaposition captured my attention. In composing a variety of stark, woodland settings in contrast with a billowy dress or other man-made articles, I explore the dichotomy between what is natural and what is fabricated. Why do people costumed in formal dress seem so omnipotent on the street, yet so vulnerable in the wild? Each of these compositions explores a place where unexpected circumstances collide.

Tom Chambers statement, http://www.photoeye.com/gallery/forms2/statement.cfm?id=185856

Tom Chambers on his work:

As an artist I have created photo montages to reveal a personal vision about the nature of children, animals, and their interactions. These images illustrate the fleeting moods that can’t be captured by a traditional camera or seen by the naked eye.

I initially sketch out a concept or idea I have for an image. I photograph each piece of the image using a me-
dium format film camera, generally a Mamiya Pro TL or a Fuji Rangefinder. I am careful to make sure the light
intensity and direction are similar in each of these shots.

This process may take a month depending on how quickly I am able to get all the shots and sort through
them picking the ones which work best together. “Pieces” of the final image may include the landscape or
background, often shot in sections, as well as the sky, a human figure, an animal, or another object. The processed film is scanned at a high resolution, approximately 80 megabytes per frame. Then, I use Photoshop
software with a Macintosh computer to combine each “piece”, thus creating the final image. Lastly, the image
is printed with an Epson printer using archival inks and paper.

Tom Chambers on his work, http://www.artistaday.com/?p=3266