The Light Thief II

Carrying on from my last entry - I'd decided to mask my identity in my conceptual picture with light. It made perfect sense, I'm so into my lighting, and it dawned on me that if I do some more with this character, the light and his adventure with it is what it's all about. After all, that's what this blog has been.  I thought I'd started without a firm theme for this shot, but I'm starting to think that there was actually a well-formed plan sitting in my subconscious all along, waiting for me to peel away at my thoughts by just acting until it emerged.

Back to the execution. The idea was to overexpose my face with a cleverly placed flash.  But where?  That part was easy, inside the prop I'd intended to use, a much-loved old briefcase.



Then it was just a matter of trying out various poses.




As the winter afternoon wore on, I had to be mindful to keep my ambient exposure right, so I crept the shutter speed down a stop or two by the time I had finished. Condensation from my breath also started showing up in the flash. I would have liked to have played with it some more, but since I really couldn't see it, it was impossible to work with. I'd originally thought about a smoke machine or bomb inside the bunker for extra effect, but was happy enough with the flare I'd got in the earlier exposures.  Posing done, it was time to go home, pick the shots I liked and work a little Photoshop magic.



And there he is, the light thief. I think he must have found a place where that amazing energy is abundant, and came back here with a bag full of it.

This feels like the start of a story, a journey. The more I look at him, the more I wonder what he'll get up to next. Is the light safe? Is it a force for good or bad?  I don't know yet, but I'm sure my subconscious does, and gradually, it's going to let me know. I can't wait to see where it takes me.

The Light Thief

Ever feel the need to stretch  yourself creatively?  I've had that bug for a while now, feeling far too comfortable in my skill set, doing mostly pictorial work, even for fun. So I decided it was time I got of my arse and did something a little more conceptual. I'll admit what helped was seeing a Creative Live webinar presented by fine art photographer Brooke Shaden.

I've had a bunch of ideas floating around in my head waiting for me to do something with them, and watching Brooke at work made me just mash them together, shake them up and see what fell out. Not exactly the theme-driven approach Brooke uses, but when I realised it could actually make an interesting picture, I couldn't wait to execute it. 

The first element I wanted to use was my location: This bunker-like concrete structure in Leith Valley. I've lit the interior before, and it seemed to me like a portal to someplace elemental, like the lift from Hell.

See what I mean?

The next step was to add some more light for the effect I wanted to create, like the thing really was a portal to another dimension. The idea was that I could layer these in photoshop later for just the right effect.

Next came a character and a model to portray them.  This was a spur of the moment project so...

...I got into costume.  Thank goodness that's the old suit I use for gigging with my band. I got covered in mud by the time I was done. Just taking a test pop with my wireless remote in hand here.

Like Brooke Shaden, I wanted my character to be anonymous. Brooke often uses uses hair to mask her character faces - originally because like me, she didn't use models other than herself for a while. As you can see, I'm not your Fabio flowing locks type, although I'll admit that in the 90's, I had a ponytail for about 15 seconds.

I was really challenged as to how to hide my face with something that wouldn't hijack the picture.  I thought about using foreground foliage, but that didn't seem right.  Sunglasses?  Too Blues Brothers. I'd already struck out, looking for an appropriate brimmed hat in the Op shops around town. Mask? Too Zorro. Blindfold? Too loaded.

Then I struck on it. One of the elements floating around in my head would do, something central to a lot of my work. It would really transform my shot into something intriguing, a story.  It was so...me.

I would make myself anonymous with light.

More in due course.