Early in 2004 Lyn Steele rescued an old Minolta camera that had been headed for a friend's scrap heap. Unused for over a decade the mechanism was seized and the owner had no further interest in it but to Lyn the heavy, clunky unit had a certain charm. So over the next few nights with some help from the internet she set about attempting a resurrection.
The result was a spasmodically operating camera that more often than not required a sharp knock to complete a shot, but it was at least functional enough to test a roll of film. Having taken a few shots of a flower Lyn decided to attach the close-up rings that had accompanied the camera and was immediately stunned by the images revealed within the structure of the lily. The light and shapes present in this often hidden world were a revelation.
After developing the test roll of film the camera's potential became evident. Pictures unachievable on her more modern equipment lay before her. Peta Steele, Lyn's sister-in-law, was equally impressed and the Minolta was dispatched to have an expensive but professional makeover.
Obtaining this style of image quickly became a passion. The decision was made early to work in a style befitting the pre-digital nature of the camera. Patience, lighting, specified focus, and shot composition, factors that are becoming less important in our electronic world, were required in full measure. The desire and the end result was that not one of the images were cropped or digitally altered in any way.
Very early into what became months of work Peta and Lyn knew they were immersing themselves in something special. The vibrancy of colour, fluidity of form, and the sheer expressiveness of nature led them to explore mediums that would allow others to experience what they had discovered through their lens.
The calculated use of metallic paper passes on the pleasure of colour moving from subtly nuanced to rampagingly licentious. The provocative matt, black and white, and gentle hand coloured images round out a body of work both Peta and Lyn have found deeply satisfying.