As I said in my first Anatomy of a Map post, each commission carries with it a happy surprise. Here’s the happy surprise in this project: my client Anne Armfield turns out to be an amazing nature photographer. Clients often take photos on their trips–we all do, right? Especially now that digital cameras and phones allow us to take lots of pictures. And most clients take good photos, good enough for me to use as the basis for map illustrations. Anne’s photos, however, took my breath away: they’re extraordinarily beautiful. I mean, look at these zebras! I marveled at the 190 shots she sent, wondering how we were going to choose just a few candidates for the map.
We managed, Anne and I, to make choices–after that, however, I was on my own, pretty anxious about my ability to do these images justice. Above are my painted zebras–pretty decent, less splendid than their models. It was an honor and a challenge to work with this gifted artist. I’ve kept Anne’s photos on my computer: sometimes when I need a break and a shot of inspiration, I look at them. In the next few posts, I’ll treat you to more examples of her work.