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.