As a photographer, I often use light modifiers. These are things like soft boxes or flash covers which modify lights, basically making light behave a certain way so my images come out the way I intended.
But what if, instead of using modifiers, light itself was actually the subject of the image? What if we could somehow flip the script and make light be not just a supporting player, but the subject itself? Instead of a model, why not let light be the star of the show?!?
This notion is the idea behind my series called “Lightscapes.” The series was inspired in part by my experience of artist James Turrell’s work in Japan. Turrell often uses light itself as his artistic medium, although his work tends toward installations rather than traditional two-dimensional images. For my series, I wanted to craft photographs. A series of images, in the two-dimensional realm, where light was the subject. What does light look like when we photograph it? Can we photograph it? How could I take a picture of light?
This image is called “Bursting with Dashes.” To make this one, I headed over to Round Rock, Texas where there was a light display. For this series, I often work with light displays, but I also have lights I can use at home. Basically, I just need, well, light, light, and more light to do these.
Stumbling upon the lights themselves is the easy part. The harder part is actually making the image, crafting the light into something that can become the subject of a photograph. For this, I did what I call my “tripod dance.” I set up my tripod with my camera (yes, I still use a tripod sometimes. You remember tripods, right? Those unruly beasts with three legs? Ugh!) and I moved around between takes. For this image, I did a lot of takes in order to get the image I wanted.
Sometimes, you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you get a prince, as the saying goes.
In between attempts and experiments, I moved, I shifted, I turned my camera, I moved my camera, I picked it up (yes, the tripod too!) I swiggled, I jiggled, I tripod danced the night away!
Eventually, I got something I liked. This is a zoom burst with a side helping of motion blur.
It looks kind of like mark making gone wild. My inner Jackson Pollock is pleased, what can I say?
Something else about this image is that it’s my latest available limited-edition print over on Singulart. This one is available as a 24 × 36-inch metal print in a limited edition of just 15. Each print is numbered and signed and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
My collection over on Singulart is all limited edition prints. These aren’t mass-produced prints. They’re carefully selected photographs, offered in small editions for collectors who want something a little different.
You can view this image on Singulart here.
Playing with light is a lot of fun. I hope to do more this year, and I hope to find some surprises, like “Bursting with Dashes” along the way.
Until next time…
