Few things intrigue me more than the realities and potential realities that are possible when I grab my camera and set off on a journey to photograph nature and life on earth. It is the only place we are and will ever call home. So, how do we view our world? With the camera I am able to capture nature as it is and as I see it and from whatever perspective speaks to me. In post processing I can introduce other elements to the image that interpret my vision of what I have seen. This is why I caption all of my work and shows with the words “as seen through the lens, eyes and mind of Ted Grussing.” It is my vision of reality that I present to others, and it may be anything from a straight photograph to a composited image incorporating multiple images into one or where I have spent time adding brush strokes, editing backgrounds and other elements to an image to bring forth the beauty.
Photo 2
The following are five examples of the processes I have outlined: 1, 2 and 3 are examples of straight photographs that are run through post processing to crop the image and run color corrections and the like. 1 is a shot of Sycamore Canyon during a monsoon storm. The sun was streaming through gaps in the clouds, creating a special image. In image 2, I captured Sunset Crater in low clouds that were pouring into the caldera of the volcanic cone creating a photo with inherent mystery.
Photo 3
3 is a shot of a Red Tail Hawk in flight from above over the Lower Loop area.
Photo 4
4, 5 and 6 are examples of straight photographs with manipulation of the background to create images retaining the beauty of the subject matter while providing interest and attention to the subject with creative work on the background. 4 is a photograph of two bluebirds on a rock in a cattle pond wherein extraneous items were removed from the background thus emphasizing the subject matter.
Photo 5
5 is a desert evening primrose flower shot from a side view, adding some brushstrokes and texture to the flower and cleaning up the background.
Photo 6
6 is a photo of a neighbor’s cat prowling his yard with an added sense of mystery with brush work added to the background.
Photo 7
Images 7, 8 and 9 are examples of full-blown compositing to create an image found only in the artist’s imagination. 7 is an aerial shot taken on the San Francisco Volcanic Field of Sunset Crater as the featured volcanic cone on a morning when there was a low cloud bank. I worked a Hubble image into the photograph.
Photo 8
8 is likewise a composite of a Hubble image and a photograph that I took on an evening walk of a satellite dish. The sky was orange, and it seemed like a communication path had been extended to the universe, so I completed the image.
Photo 9
9 is a piece I assembled after my cat Q had passed. I was capturing elements of nature that keep his memory fresh and yet acknowledge his passing.
