Camille Madeline Coffin

"Long Beautiful Hair"

“No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer it has chosen.”

-Author: Minor White

This piece is the best representation of my passion for perfection. Anyone who has worked with film knows that the amount of time devoted in the magical space of the darkroom matters not—especially when a specific photograph speaks to your soul. Every detail matters. Every attempt is full of anticipation, as you wonder if 'this print', will be your best work. As a result, time ceases to exist until you feel your Masterpiece is complete.

While I possess many original silver gelatin prints of my efforts to chemically process and tone them to my liking, this particular image/negative was digitally scanned and edited. A large format, matte-printed, framed copy resides in our home for all to enjoy. I pass it many times each day and it exudes an aura of the mysterious and the spiritual. From beginning to end, the entire process of creating this photograph —and its many versions—was a labor of love, and a work of art.

—cmc | 02.28.2018

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A special thank you to my Model and Soul Sister: Melisa Kapllani. Her beautiful, spontaneous, and wild Spirit is forever frozen and captured in this film photograph.

“Long Beautiful Hair”

Camille Madeline Coffin

"Connected with Nature"

“Connected with Nature” is a “B&W: 2022 Single Image” award-winning photograph published in B&W Magazine. Look for this image in the February 2022, “Special Edition” #151. For more information about this image, please send me your request via my “Contact” page.

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Have you ever experienced a spontaneous and mysterious spark of creativity? For artists, I imagine this is a common phenomenon. I do not use the word ‘mysterious’ lightly, because I believe there are times when these sparks are not our own; that the artist who creates a particular piece—is instead—the vessel. That is the best description I can attribute to this photograph, and how it came to be. One moment I was watching a television program, and the next, I was searching through my diverse collection of photos in order to create my first composite. The ‘birth’ of “Connected with Nature” was—and remains, to this day—a mystery.

Still, there are a few details about this piece that I can explain. My desire was to create a work of art that combined nature with humanity, simply because that relationship exists wherever we travel. We marvel at the beauty of flowers; their fragrance—a feast for the senses. We are in awe while in the presence of majestic mountains. And when the setting sun paints the clouds a rainbow of colors, we are often rendered speechless. All we can do is look, appreciate, and wonder. But most importantly, we feel a deep sense of connection. Even if only for a brief moment, any sense of separation—vanishes. We become one with nature.

For this composite, I chose two photographs. Each photograph was shot using different lighting—natural and studio. My model is deservedly crowned with flowers of the Cherry Esplanade tree. Her long hair—which is ‘the path’ that draws you into the photo—is intermingled with the grassy field. The creative stroke of her winged eyeliner is subtly connected with the branches of the tree. My final touch includes a conversion from color to either black and white or sepia tone, in order to blend the two different types of lighting.

This photograph prints beautifully on matte paper in both medium or large format. In addition to Long Beautiful Hair, a framed copy of Connected with Nature graces the wall of my home. It is the representation of a spontaneous ‘spark’ of the Divine, combined with my personal experience as an honored, artistic vessel.

—cmc

02.25.2019

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Thank you to my Model, Melisa Kapllani, who has painstakingly spent 1001 hours indulging my 1001 photographic ideas.

“Connected with Nature”

Camille Madeline Coffin