Photography Highlights • Painting with Light
- Thread starter XPan
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thank you for sharing with us
kiret
Padawan Learner
so cool! your photos have inspired me greatly! that's true art!
I've had a go with light painting too :D
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I've had a go with light painting too :D
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XPan
The Living Force
I thought to change character...
To show you different light paintings (a mix of light paintings and impressions). I am not all about flashy, effect-y, colorful photography (which is easily seductive in a shallow kind of way - and not unheard of, easily becoming "too much". (I do love bright colors, though)
Going back to the year of 1990
was a highly weird time of my life - one of the most difficult ones, which should stretch well into mid 1991. I did not even understand what a depression was... (I found those tools later in Jun 1991).
And so a 'portal' opens; in good and bad
As my life started spiraling down, accelerating faster and faster - I noticed in the beginning of that period - that it would color the mood of my photography. Up until 1990, I used to be extremely fixated on technical aspects like composition, sharpness fanatic and such - but failed to connect to the content (spirit) in a photo. As if something vital was missing. Something disconnected. Something that always hung like a layer over me, with a mind of it's own. Darkish. Forceful. Demanding. (Exhausting !)
Baby Steps in Light Paintings
I started experimenting with the total opposite what I use to; blurriness. Movement. Airiness. Heaviness. Coloring photos by hand, Longtime exposures (of course all made with analog films) - and of course - light paintings.
It had an intriguing effect on me - because here I was breaking the rules in my photography - not following rules like a slave. At the same time, i wasn't convinced about the value of what I was doing at it didn't seem very "serious" to quality for photography. Strange is the mind of man sometimes...
But it had a great feeling to swing free. It had a spirit of playfulness and enthusiasm. And it started to puncture - ever so slightly - the strong layers that surrounded my being back then.
The tools were simple
just a clumsy torch. (Plus tripod) and the photo with Jonas below, a flash. Oh, and a lighter. As well enough (long) exposure time to keep the camera open, to register the light traces - but the overall light needed to be a bit dim. Best of course were moonlit nights, or the light from dusk and dawn.
5 minutes
The total expoure time of this photo - was 5 minutes (and even that resulted into a very thin negative). Analog film you use for longtime exposure, rapidly loose sensitivity - so you can't trust your light meter (not that it would have worked - it was too dark for that) But if it would have - all exposures longer than 1 second - require extra light to "take in" via longer exposure times.
At 10 seconds, you may need 30 seconds. A 1 minute, you may need 5-8 minutes. Some films you have give 8-10x longer exposure time (e.g. Ilford films, Hungarian Foma films, Tri-X 400 film) in order to get a BW negative that is not too thin. (or is dense enough to make prints from it)
This failure in photographical (analog) films is called Reciprocity failure or Schwarzschild Effect. It can make an ISO 400 film to be less sensitive than a ISO 100 film ! [This does not apply for digital cameras]
The background was exposed only from the light of the half moon. Jonas who stood model in a bed linnen they used in Swedish hospital - which was extremely stretchable , was lit by a weak, brief flash. Then I "painted" him with a cigarette lighter, as time went along.
It was a beautiful, unusual warm night around 1 May 1990 in the eastern outskirts of Stockholm, almost on the country side.
Hand coloring BW prints
Was fun to do, despite the long time it took to do so with special colors made for photographic emulsions. Even this photo had an exposure time of at least 2 minutes (at the end of dusk), in order to get some details visible in the shadows of the large 6x7 cm negative.
Inspiration, curiosity and playfulness are the mother of many ideas; seeds start growing, turning into small plants, perhaps even into big trees. And not everything needs to be controlled by the human mind, in order to find honest nutrition and growth. Errors you make in photography, also have an interesting (unexpected) effect on your journey to discover new roads.
Ralf
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Thank you for sharing your Art Ralf, very inspirational and loved your pictures. They are very creative and also different insofar as the moods they reflect. I enjoyed all of them!i
Absolutely stunning, each and every one you have shown us. Thank you for sharing
XPan
The Living Force
These are lovely, thank you for sharing XPan
Thank YOU, who enjoy photography !
I once read/heard/picked up, that 'artists are not just those who create, but equally those who enjoy art, are artists, as well!"
I think there is a lot of depth in that claim.
Think of music - not all of us play instruments - and yet - the music we attach to, moves us, can literally makes us fly, move and connect, start chapters, end chapters, initiate reflections, transform... .
If that isn't art, then I don't know what is.
So. That makes you are artist, too !
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XPan
The Living Force
Avatar explained
The image I use here as my present avatar among the Cassiopaean Family, is a photo which happened totally out of the blue (Oct 2011) on my way to work.
Around the house complex where i live in South Stockholm, there were stairs cluttered with plenty of purple tags sprayed by somebody. As it was early autumn, yellow leafs started to fall.
Ok, I just continued to walk - but suddenly stopped like going into a wall. I remember the thought of "You can't just miss this". There was something striking about the harmony in colors that caught my attention. I only had an iPhone 4 at hand, no camera like I always use to carry around.
So, walking back - and looking closer at that particular little leaf with bright colors. Showing all stages of decay at the same time (black, reddish, yellow, green), crowned with bubbly, shiny pearls (water droplets), and the purple spray on the stairs. So, this is exactly how the leaf was lying on the stairs; no touching. no fiddling. no changing of composition.
Though the years this photo, while technically not remarkable, it has grown into something of an unexpected favorite.
I love situations like that, in daily life
It's nothing I am searching for "to get" or having to "capture". It's more like in a sense of "it comes to you... if you want".
So, while 'occupied' walking along the streets, always with a myriad of thoughts, impressions and strings to delve into - I do snap out of it easily - when I see something small, something unusual, or remarkable (and it doesn't have to be "grande") - but giving it some closer attention.
Now it is up to a being, instead of just noticing something (in, out... and gone) - but actually to see
Walking through life like that
no matter, even in really difficult and dark times - I have always noticed things in nature, city, landscapes, clouds... as well situations among human beings. Glimpses of beauty. I can call it names like "postcard from the universe", or simply not giving names - but in my heart, it always feels like a special resonance; a brief contact to something higher / deeper. Like a reminder. A postcard. An invitation to Beauty - one hand touching another.
An silent encouragement not to loose hope/faith/courage. It is often presented as an invitation "come here, look". It is not a must, and no blame lies behind, like "you have to, in order to qualify". It's not about that at all.
I also leaned that this wasn't about me being special (you now how the Ego loves to crown itself with borrowed feathers á lá "me, myself and I")
Instead, those situations in nature, and wherever you are, is something for everyone to be able to access / tap into. And there are of course many different ways how to do.
Give it a go. It's fun !
I feel the same way. I think that's what it's all about. Keeping your eyes open to discover the beauty in every little thing without looking for it. It often gives me a feeling of being alive and I am grateful that I can experience that. No matter if there is a "terrible pandemic" or whatever at the moment or not.
I loved to draw as a child and one of my "trademarks" was that I always put a little detail somewhere that only the people who CAN see it can see. A little mouse doing things, for example.
As I mentioned before, but I can't say it enough, great pictures you make. I want more
XPan
The Living Force
That is it. You nailed it.
This alive-ness which is so fascinating. And that genuine sense of gratefulness, literally flowing though every cell in the body resonating. Speak about literal resonance / vibration !
I will post more photos, of course
To be honest, I love to share and inspiration. I don't want to own "my art" (or whatever). I have in the past 20 years always kept my images totally free to anyone though my homepage. Free. Always. The thought has always been, to inspire other people, to go further: To experiment. To become curious. To try. You know, without controlling or "owning" any aspect of that.
To always leave free to anyone, what to do with it, or do nothing with it.
JGeropoulas
The Living Force
All these are so enchanting the way they capture light AND movement, and your choice of backgrounds are equally part of the charm. Question: when there are multiple features/poses in a single light painting, after the first pose, do you close the shutter, leave that piece of film in place, then prepare for the next pose, re-open the shutter to re-expose that same piece of film?
XPan
The Living Force
Thank you @JGeropoulas
All in One
The images with light paintings and impressions I have shown this far - are all one single exposures. I know it can be done separately - absolutely. IF the camera has a multi-exposure function, it can be done with seperature exposures in the same frame. For unknown reasons, I have always prefered to make any light painting as a single exposure. That can sometimes has the side effect of that you can weak traces of a person moving around while painting with light - appearing ghost like (unless that is taken away in post processing).
"Uncontrolled Double Exposure"
I had a brief period in the 90s, in which I would expose a whole roll of film - rewind it - and then re-expose it anew. (works best if you have a dark background) Then coincidence would combine two motives together in unexpected ways. (see below) It's an interesting technique with analog film. It gave me a feeling allowing other (possible) influence to "choose" or alter the final combination of images. (of course not combos work, but some always turn out interesting).
If an analog camera doesn't have a multi exposure feature (e.g. analog Leica M cameras, Hasselblad XPan camera) - then this is the only way to accomplish multiple exposures type of photography.
A sort of workaround
XPan
The Living Force
This is an example
where you can see faint traces left of me standing (like a "shadow") while painting Daniel with light during an exposure of 20 seconds, during "Earth Hour" March 2009. So, the more you stand in one spot, the more visible you become (in a blurry way). The more you move, the less visible (or even invisible) you become. This is also the key to make images for example in a city or lively street - by exposing 5-10 minutes in daylight (with help of a strong grey filter); then people will disappear, as will cars.
XPan
The Living Force
Stromboli Volcano
I thought to you a couple photos with light painting - made at the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean", a permanent active volcano known as such since the days of the Roman Empire.
It was also a dream for me as a young teenager one day to visit Stromboli - albeit i had no idea that I actually would do so, in the most unexpted ways (2006). Since then I have been there several times - and it is a very special place. However, if I thought it was a "mild" volcano - then this is terribly wrong, especially what Stromboli showed during 2019, with two violent paroxysms including psyroclastic clouds (900°K and more), racing down to the sea, where boats fled for their lives. One of the events in 2019 set large parts of the island ablaze (which is usually very dry vegetation afoot the volcano), all the way down to the village of Ginostra.
Traces of the Headlamps
These photos are from a calmer time, in 2010. The image below - which i in photoshop put together due to the light traces which are made of the headlamps from people who climed down the volcano. I wanted to show that with longer light trances.
Clouds = Lots of Red Glow
Thanks to the clouds that pass by (and partiallt created from the water vapor by the volcano itself) - the orange and red glow from the lava fountains are far more dramatically reflected in the sky.
In the last photos you see how strong planet Jupiter shines in the skies over Northern Sicily. The island of Stromboli is very special in that regard when it come to Starry Nights - because in the later evening, they switch off many lights - and there are streets without any lights at all. (Therefore a torch is always recommended - so you see where you walk. I once damaged my food because I didn't watch out)
Then after 02:00 in the morning, it is extra dark - as more lights are turned off - and you can see so many stars and the milky way - it is simply breathtaking (one of the rare spots in Italy, which oozes of too many light sources, making the skies rather pale). But Stromboli is a splendid place, or any other of the Aeolian Islands.
As your your heart takes in the tranquil beauty of the night sky - it truy feels "out of this world". Well and the volcano's "booms" and rhythmic red lava fountains certainly makes everything even more exciting.
Enjoy
Recto
Jedi
Truly beautiful, thank you for sharing your art and explanations @XPan. It is very instructive and inspiring !
Its funny since I tend to notice what I call jokes of the universe in my daily life. Deeply personal jokes based on my current and past understanding, a dialogue with something higher. Beyond beauty and humor, there exist probably many more ways to connect with Life. It is truly inspiring to witness this multifaceted expression of the universe, and your art is definitely a testimony of that.
Indeed ! Time is seen (through light) as a physical dimension of our space. The elegance of encapsulating 4 dimensions in a still image (hence 2D) is only something art could do, IMO.
Its funny since I tend to notice what I call jokes of the universe in my daily life. Deeply personal jokes based on my current and past understanding, a dialogue with something higher. Beyond beauty and humor, there exist probably many more ways to connect with Life. It is truly inspiring to witness this multifaceted expression of the universe, and your art is definitely a testimony of that.
Indeed ! Time is seen (through light) as a physical dimension of our space. The elegance of encapsulating 4 dimensions in a still image (hence 2D) is only something art could do, IMO.
XPan
The Living Force
I agree, @Recto
The universe has so many layers, and so does Art - which in so many ways is truly mind boggling. I see, feel and sense that through other people's expressions in their Art !! That is (when i dig in), I can get breathless over the wealth of what other people create/do.
I don't see that much in my own creations - but primarily in what other people do. This gives me a healthy perspective of what I create - in the sense of becoming anew a "beginner". Enabling perspective, humility/humbleness - as well a healthy balance to Ego, as well.
With that, the doors to new potential ideas and creations are opened.
And endless Journey
So, other people's work is for me like an endless journey, filled with questions, fascination, excitment, wealth, awe, wondering, beauty, and more. Not because it sounds fancy, but because that is how it feels from within.
Yet - I rarely go to museums or photo exhibitions *LOL* And still - I am constantly open with my eyes, wherever I go (It's a little bit like; "I don't go to church to meet God/Spirit - I do it though being open/present along the road of life")
More subtle Light paintings in the Dolomites (Italy)
Today I want to show images that are not as "flashy" as the others I have chosen earlier. I can't deny that I do love strong, bright colors with that extra excitement. But then there is also a side in me, which is the opposite; more subtle, less "into the face".
The above photo has been made by letting a flash light on a stick, pointing down, while walking. During the 3 minute long exposure, the result turned out as a trail of light, resembling snow. Again, you experiment. Then you judge what goes and what not. However, I recommend at first, not to throw away images, because...
Post processing
is vital, because light painting can easily turn out too bright (or too dark) - and corrections often do make them better. Other times you may need to make the borders of an image slightly darker, to let the eye keep focus into the middle of the frame. The good thing about experimental photography is, that there are no true rules. It is really up to you, and your maturing process - how to see such images, how to work with them later, in a photoshop like app.
Some images may not come fully to life
until you revisit them a couple times later (over a period). That is the process of "maturing". To learn your eyes to see... (even in post processing - not just on location as you take the images) It is a way to learn to go beyond your own borders & limitations. And yes, it takes time. But experimenting is about learning to see all kinds of spectrums, what can be done, how does that look like, how does it feel like - and - how that it all feel like 6 month later ? Sometimes you have to "Kill your darlings" - which in photography means, to let go off what you considered to be your best photos. Because they sometimes become a limitation of seeing beyond your capabilities in photography.
What I wish to say is - that when you experiment with light paintings - images may not look like you envisioned / expected.
And that is OK, too.
In post processing you can further experiment until you get the right feeling. And yes, not all of them will turn out good. Well, photography is never about "getting all images perfect". It never does (not really to be perfectly honest).
So, when you revisit the your same photos later - you may suddenly realize "what is missing". Being able to add/change that subtle something, which gives the photo it's final cut. I often use that method even for black & white images - where nuances (shades of gray) are important - but not always fall "right" into place at once. Sometimes I have to "let it sit for a while" - revisit it - and then the final magic comes to life.
So, every project or photo shooting - can be - a process of experimenting, experiencing layers of photography, learning, and maturing.
Ralf
