Jessica Green "MacroFloral" Photos
Exhibited February, 2006

     Gilbert resident Jessica Green embarked on a friendly spousal competition in 2002; to inspire and improve photography skills she and her husband began a weekly contest. “Each week we alternated choosing a topic, then would post our five favorite images for that topic by Monday morning on our web sites. After an entire year, we both improved dramatically." This friendly rivalry gave Jessica the drive and patience to spend hours at her tripod awaiting perfect lighting for breathtaking macro images of flowers, landscapes and Arizona scenery. The resulting work was the subject of "MacroFloral: Hidden Beauty," a one-woman show during February, 2006, in the visitor center gallery at Boyce Thompson Arboretum.

     Jessica was raised in Saginaw, Michigan and moved to Arizona in 1995 for college; after graduation she lived in California and Massachusetts briefly, then returned to Arizona in 2001. She lives in Gilbert with her husband Andrew and their three cats, the latter being well represented on her website galleries at http://www.jessicagreen.com. She currently works as an enterprise systems administrator at the Maricopa County Community College district office in Tempe. As Green laughingly put it: "computer geek by day, creative imaging enthusiast by night.” In 1997, Green bought her first 1.2 megapixel digital camera and has been photographing everything since, and seeking unusual ways to improve her skills. "I needed to practice my portraiture skills and offered to take the 2005 photos-with-Easter-Bunny portraits for the San Tan Ranch Homeowner's Association where I live in Gilbert. What a riot that was!"

     "I enjoy new experiences in photography. Recently a friend loaned me his Canon 50mm f2.8 Macro lens. He hasn't been able to pry it from my camera since! I instantly fell in love with the beautiful complexity of getting up close and personal with nature. Sometimes I will spend hours photographing a single subject. I shoot from every angle, with various diffusers and reflectors. I shoot at different times of day, with multiple apertures, lenses and shutter speeds. One funny thing about me is that I'll keep trying and trying until I capture something I feel that is true to the subject. Sometimes nature's beauty simply cannot be captured, but I try anyway! For example, I have spent hours photographing this one particular tree at the Arboretum. I've shot it with all three of my lenses, on automatic and in many manual modes. I've even visited this same tree in fall, winter and spring. I must have hundreds of pictures of the berries and the leaves, and did not feel that any of them did justice to the beauty in this particular tree. It wasn't until one day last fall that I noticed this little vine crawling over the bark. This is the only macro shot in the show that isn't of a flower, but I love it so much that I had to share it. Sometimes you really have to look long and hard to find the hidden beauty in nature."

     "I started out digital but eventually I learned film photography on a 4x5 Graflex SpeedGraphics World War II Press Camera. Large format film processing and printing is a fascinating new world for me. I hope to get better at this in the future. My main camera is a Canon EOS Digital Rebel 6.3 megapixel. I shoot in RAW mode and use Adobe PhotoShop CS for editing. Many photographers feel that digital enhancement is a poor substitute for true photography, but I would counter that enhancing an image digitally is part of the art form, much like a painter or a sculptor. Photographers should have creative freedom to do as they like with their own images. While I, too, try to capture the true-to-life beauty with my camera, when I can bring more of it out in PhotoShop, I most certainly will! My exhibit, "MarcoFloral: Hidden Beauty" features floral and natural photographic images from around Arizona. This is my first exhibit, and it is particularly appropriate - most of these images were taken at Boyce Thompson Arboretum over the past year. I am honored to be featured at one of my favorite places to relax in Arizona! Boyce Thompson is a wonderful place to get away from it all and spend a day with a camera... or two, or three!"

      To see more of her work visit the web site http://www.tumbleweeddigital.com/GREEN_BTAPriceSheet.htm or correspond with the artist via email to jessica@tumbleweeddigital.com. From September through May daily park admission is taken from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the Arboretum closes promptly at 5:00 p.m. Daily admission of $7.50 for adults or $3 for ages 5-12 must be paid to enter the Visitor Center where our gallery is located. Annual memberships at the Arboretum begin at $35, and include a year's access, guest passes for your friends and family, along with many other benefits. To review other recent gallery shows from...

January, 2006 CLICK HERE
December CLICK HERE
November CLICK HERE
October CLICK HERE
September CLICK HERE
July/August CLICK HERE
June/July CLICK HERE
May CLICK HERE
April CLICK HERE
March CLICK HERE
February CLICK HERE
January CLICK HERE
December CLICK HERE