Today, we’re featuring an experimental and fine art portrait session from French film photographer Violette Nell. Violette used a film photography and homemade filters to create dreamy, ethereal imagery in her Secret Garden series. Here are a few words from Violette about the series and her photography journey, and be sure to scroll down to see all of the images!
I was born in France some 20 years ago. Self-taught, I had a passion for photography very late in life. Melancholic portraits of Julia Margaret Cameron and Lady Clementina Hawarden gave me the desire to start photography.
I shoot both digital and film, and I draw inspiration from vintage objects, fashion, painting, cinema, nature, and art in general. My favorite themes are couples and intimate portraits. What interests me the most is transcribing authentic emotions that are not overplayed through atmospheres… I’m very attached to light, in the sense of composition, to the harmony of colors, as well as to the style I hope to give to my image.
I love experimenting with new things, such as cheap items you can easily find in supermarkets or at home. For the Secret Garden series, I used homemade filters from coloured exercise book covers for kids.
Analog cameras and films used: Minolta XD7 (Find at KEH Camera or eBay) | Fuji Superia 200 (Find on Amazon), Kodak ColorPlus 200 (Find on Amazon) | Developed and scanned by Zoé Photo
Connect with Violette: Flickr | Instagram
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