In My Nature: a scanography exhibit by Marty Klein

Easthampton artist Marty Klein says: “People with cameras take pictures. I make them.” He’s referring to the fact that he does not use a camera to make his images, and, he must place objects on the bed of the flatbed scanner that he uses as a photographer would use a camera.
His images are created with natural objects (most locally grown or foraged) as subjects. The medium is called scanography. Klein has been creating images in this manner since 2006, both as an outlet for his creativity and as a way to share his knowledge and appreciation of the natural world with others. All of Klein’s prints are on fine art rag paper or canvas, using archival inks. The prints capture the ephemeral nature of his organic subjects for posterity.
“In my work, I strive to portray nature’s essences, forms, patterns and colors, the familiar and the less-seen details.”
Here’s how he does it: “I use my scanner as a high resolution camera with a macro/close-up lens. To create a composition, I initially compose the subjects – leaves, flowers, etc. on the glass plate, cover open. I edit the scans in Photoshop, often spending many hours digitally painting in backgrounds and/or editing out the stray dust and pollen that invariably accompanies my subjects. My editing process results in images that look to be a hybrid of illustration and photography, displaying much depth and detail. Because the scanner captures the image from below, I am sometimes surprised by what appears in the image on my monitor.”