Guest Post: “Auratones” – Taking Your Photography to the Next Level by Barbara Smith

Sooner or later I was bound to share at least one “it’s a small world” story.  A few years ago Barbara Smith was having dinner at a friend’s house and was talking about a book she’d just read, “The Art of Wedding Photography” by Bambi Cantrell and Skip Cohen.   Her neighbor started laughing and walked her over to a window that faced the house next door.  “See that house  – that’s where Skip lives!”

From that point on, the friendship with Barbara just took off.  She’s written two books for Amphoto on Keepsake Photography and a year ago launched a new process she named Auratones.   What I find so fascinating about Barbara is her constant enthusiasm – although she’s a great photographer she’s really an amazing artist, constantly on a quest to find new techniques and materials to print on.  

Even more fun is that every time she finds something new to do with an image her enthusiasm is right up with what Thomas Edison’s must have been when he got the first light bulb to work!  She’s even created her own vocabulary, calling her work “Photo Fusion” and will soon be launching online Photo Fusion video workshops.  Regardless of your photographic specialty, do yourself a favor and sign up for her  newsletter or visit her website at  www.bsmithphotography.com.

As I’m sure you’ve noticed, trying to make a digital image look like a painting is fairly commonplace.  Witness canvas wraps, and Photoshop layers that emulate the often grungy look of painting, where texture, intentional drips, and even “accidents” add texture and evidence of the artist’s hand.   

My friend Amadea Bailey is a renowned painter.  She recently sent out a newsletter documenting the progression of one of her pieces, and the concept of layering really hit home.  The artist often lays down a primer coat of gesso, may pencil or charcoal in a quick sketch, then builds up paint slowly, over time, layer by layer.  

Photoshop layers can be used much the same way, and to much the same effect, and help to add a sense of depth.  They can look pretty impressive on screen, but the problem (at least in my eyes) is that they’re still flat when printed. They lack true depth, texture, dimensionality.

So why not use a photograph as the basis of a “real” painting…as a digital sketch, so to speak?   You may not be able to draw, but as a photographer, you’re an artist at heart.  If, like me, you love the tactile sense of surfaces like watercolor paper, canvas, and board or if you’re drawn to the allure of art supplies like brushes, palettes, and paint, you can now use your photos as the basis for all kinds of mixed media pieces.   Helping you along is a growing list of products that can be applied to all manner of substrate — even wood and metal — using transfer methods and digital “grounds,” then adding acrylic paint, incorporating collage, found objects, and/or wax (photo encaustic). 

I’m constantly looking for ways to lift my images off the page and take them to new heights.  Inspired by an original Orotone made by Edward Curtis (The Vanishing Race, circa 1904) , I set about trying to come up with a digital equivalent and developed the “Auratone,” the name in part an homage to Curtis with a play on the chemical symbol for gold (Au).   Since its introduction just three years ago, photographers have submitted Auratones to numerous contests (and won!), sold them at galleries and art fairs, and added them to their list of products and services.

The process has to start with a spectacular image, this one from Bambi Cantrell.  The next steps are relatively simple.  I print the image on a specially coated transparency sheet, then apply AuraToner (my secret sauce!).  Total time from start to finish is less than an hour, excluding drying time.  This isn’t a process to be used on every image, but what an incredible gift or product for the right client, and it makes your work unique! 

I have been getting such incredible feedback on the Auratone process that I decided to take it one step further.  I recently added Auratone jewelry kits to my own list of products and services.    I hear so many photographers who are trying to make themselves look different, worrying too much about competing with “Uncle Harry”.  Well, PhotoFusion is virtually unlimited in what we can do with an image and if you enjoy being an artist more than a technician, you’ll have a lot of fun and at the same time grow your business!