Lost in Translation

Posted by Ange

February 10, 2009

: Tempest Necklace

: Graceful Ghost Comet Earrings

: Pomegranate Seeds Necklace

Think about this: your eye is an evolutionary wonder. It collects and focuses reflected light onto sensors lining the back and your brain interprets it into shades, colors, shapes, and depth. Think then, of how much that same visual information is translated and re-shaped when a digital picture is taken, edited, and translated on to your computer screen.

First, it is refracted through a lens onto a digital sensor which converts the received image into 1’s and 0’s (which is, essentially, high and low voltage differences). It’s like taking a grassy, life-laden, infinitely subtle hill and trying to recreate it with Lego bricks.

Please don’t get me wrong, I’m a HUGE fan of digital imaging technology, especially my awesome little digital camera. It’s just that after taking the original image (which is a digital interpretation), Photoshopping it to look more like what I see in natural light, translating it again into first pdf and then jpg format, and then hoping that the bazillions of computer screens out there display something CLOSE to what I took a picture of… Lets just say our Lego bricks go all impressionist blender and leave it at that.

Thus are the trials of trying to capture the beauty, depth, and subtlety of my jewelry. I wish you all could see it in person! Every time someone actually holds one of my pieces, they say, “it looks so amazing in person!” The photos I take just cannot capture ‘it’.

Sigh.

Well, if any of you would like to check out my stuff in person, just let me know, I’d be happy to share :)