and white film. At that point, her interest was
mainly black and white portraits, but a strong
motivation urged her to further research and
become a self-educated photographer and
photo editor. Later came Thailand, with its
astonishing and luscious gardens, and from
that living advertisement, Leontiou was sold.
“When I take a shot of a flower, I have the
sense that it talks to me and guides me on
how to enhance its best features by using the
power of light, shade and focus. The final aim
is to make my captures look like paintings
because I have always loved paintings, and in
general, every form of art,” says Leontiou.
Leontiou is actually not particularly
interested in taking a beautiful picture; in fact,
it means nothing to her at all. Instead she is
enthralled by the manipulation of the photo,
using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 on Mac, and
Snapseed and Mextures on mobile devices,
creating artistic elements that enhance each
blossom into its best self.
“I guess this originates from the fact that I
am a graphic designer and I have been taught
to transform photos into objects of desire,”
admits Leontiou.
And so her garden of imaginary flowers
grows, each painting us one step closer to the
secret garden within.
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inspadesmag.com