http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 37
Elizabeth Kazda
Elizabeth is an artist from Wisconsin, USA, who
specialises in creative macro/close-up studio work. She’s
had a lifelong interest in art and science. Photography
provides the perfect medium for her to combine these
interests. Visit elizabethkazda.myportfolio.com or find
her on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/beth.kazda.A
round 20 years ago Elizabeth
Kazda created a mandala using
watercolours and pencils. At the
time, photography was not part
of her artistic practice – in fact, it would
be more than a decade before she picked
up a camera and began using it to channel
her creativity. Looking at this piece on the
wall, however, the photographer is certain
that it influenced her current series of
highly successful botanical mandalas. ‘I
feel like everything I have done before has
an impact on what I am doing now,’ she
suggests. Elizabeth’s love of art goes way
back and spans a multitude of disciplines
including painting, drawing and jewellery
making. ‘All of my work is a fusion of
art and science,’ she reveals. ‘I love to
experiment and I’m always looking at
how I can change something or take it to
the next level.’In the beginning
In 2019 Elizabeth’s curiosity led her to
introduce prisms into her work. As
sunlight passes through a triangular block
of glass or Perspex it separates into
individual bands of colour. ‘I was working
with prisms to generate colour and using
mirrors to reflect this light and colour
onto other things,’ she explains. Eager to
delve deeper, she mounted her camera on
a set of focusing rails and started playingaround with in-camera multiple
exposures. ‘I took a photo, moved the
camera a certain amount and then took
another one,’ she recalls. ‘I was doing this
maybe ten times to create a design with
the prisms, and at some point I decided to
try a similar thing with botanical subjects
on a light pad.’Breakthrough moment
To begin with, Elizabeth kept her camera
(a Nikon D850) on the focusing rails, but
moved it horizontally (left and right)
rather than towards her subject. Early
results were encouraging, but she knew
there was more to be discovered. ‘One day
I just thought, what if I move the light
pad in a circular motion,’ she recalls. To
satisfy her curiosity, she set the light pad
on a rotating platform (designed for
displaying jewellery) and positioned the
camera over it. ‘I put the subject on the
light pad, took a picture in multiple
exposure mode, rotated the pad, took
another one, and so on,’ she explains.
‘That’s how I created the first mandala!’Setting up
Spurred on, Elizabeth ditched the focusing
rails (mounting her camera directly on a
geared head instead) and began refining
her technique. It soon became clear
that the old rotating platform wasn’tBotanical
highlights
Artist Elizabeth Kazda creates floral mandalas
that bring a sense of joy and positive energy.
Here she talks to Tracy Calder about her unique
approach, and her love of experimenting
Mandala with Asters
Nikon D850, Lensbaby Velvet 85mm
0.6sec at f/8, ISO 50
16 in-camera exposures