By
Lauri Novak
Piece description from the artist
Playing in puddles on Van Buren Street – Chicago.
I'm sure my methods would be (or are) sometimes frowned upon by some of the 'pros' out there. You know what? I don't care. It's why I am who I am and why I produce some of the images I do.
Because I don't allow myself to get all caught up in the 'right' way or the 'best' way to create an image. I'm much more of a "what happens if I…" type of person. Experimenting and playing with angles, where I place my camera and just seeing what happens.
Honestly, for images like this one, I am likely to have my camera on Auto mode. Sometimes I turn on the live view (when I remember). My camera is 10 years old, I do not have an articulating screen to see everything I'm doing. I'm ok with that.
What happens if I can't see what I'm shooting? Well then, I shoot by how I feel. This feels right. This feels like it's going to result in something unique or intersting. Click.
With puddles, I hold my camera to the ground at the edge just into the water. Sometimes, I hold it above the water a few inches and tilt the lens toward the water a bit. I do check to see how level it is. But, I don't sit on the ground or kneel down myself anymore. It's not a pretty site to see me trying to get back up gracefully! Trust me.
I urge you to let go of parameters, technical shoulds and rules from time to time. Ask yourself what happens if… when you are out creating images.
And yes, you need to learn your camera and how photography works in order to know that just letting go can work for you sometimes. Going by feel takes some time to learn.
Lauri Novak is an award-winning fine art photographer, mentor and author based outside of Chicago. She has an eye for photographing architecture, traveling as much as possible and just wandering in nature with her camera.
Having grown up within an hour of one of the most architecturally rich cities sparked an interest in architecture early in her life that has been a recurring theme in her work over the years. The camera was ever-present in her life growing up in one form or another, including the many family vacation photos that were taken by her mother. Lauri received her first camera when she was ten. Since then the world has opened up to her through her view-finder and has brought into focus many of the details in life that are often overlooked.
Traveling was also a big part of her life. Her family went somewhere new every year which allowed Lauri to see different parts of the country, different cities and landscapes across the United States. This opened up so many opportunities for photographs and the wandering spirit which is part of who she is to this day. On her own, she traveled overseas and discovered different cultures, amazing historical architecture and the incredible beauty that is everywhere in this world. All the while capturing what she saw with her camera.
One of the questions Lauri is asked most often both by viewers of her work and other photographers is, “How did you see that?”. She works hard to show different perspectives, unique angles and the everyday details of a wide variety of subjects.
Lauri also has a passion for helping others, offers mentorships and runs an online SEE! Photography community for other photographers. She also shares her inspiration and motivational tips for photographers as an author at Photofocus.com.
Her work has been featured in Our USA Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, Kane County Chronicle and on WGN-TV. She has had images in several galleries in Chicago, Minneapolis and as part of an international exhibition in Barcelona. Lauri’s work is displayed in hospitals, businesses and hotels around the world.
You can find more of her work at laurinovak.com
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