It’s been three months already since Gerry O’Leary sent me on his photography challenge and quite a few things have happened since then. In fact, I’m writing this article from a house in Duncan on Vancouver Island, Canada, which is not the most likely place for me to be writing anything really.
But as it so happens, I was fortunate enough to be invited here by two lovely Ostrich Pinching enthusiasts Gary and Jaën Wannamaker. And that’s just one thing on the list of wonderful things that have crossed my path the last few months. But back to Gerry’s challenge.
I’ll be putting the story on Youtube once I’m back home, but for now, there’s this: Gerry invited me to discover that photography is all about light. Fair enough. But it’s not just about light, it’s about composing with light. Light to a photographer is what notes are to a musician. If I wanted to understand his passion for photography, I needed to learn how to paint with light. And that was the assignment he gave me: Paint with light.
The first thing I put on my to do list was: buy a camera! Hey can you think of a better excuse to get your hands on that Nikon D90. ;-)
To cut a very long story, very short (the long version will go on Youtube) I basically merged two known phenomena into one concept: Lightpainting and Urban exploring. The first involves putting your camera on a tripod, in a dark space and doing a single long exposure shot while you make shapes with different light sources. Do a 10 second exposure while drawing a shape with a flashlight while convincing your kids to stand still, will get you something like this.
Urban exploring on the other hand involves breaking and entering a closed off venue at night, like an abandoned warehouse, school or factory and get pictures of that. Combining both would prove to be a challenge since the police would be on the look out for anyone breaking into such a place, met alone if you’re there waving with a flashlight. And so I decided to ask permission to do lightpainting in a kind of building that would a) be interesting to photograph regardless the time of day/night and b) allow me to paint that particular building’s story with light….hence, I asked for permission to do night photography with lightpainting in historical buildings. And guess what…I could. This is the result so far:
And this is just the beginning. I have just received permission to do the brewery hall of one of the most famous breweries in Belgium and I am allowed to lightpaint the Rubens House large studio. I cannot tell you what I honour I consider this to be.
I will keep you posted since there is a lot more where this came from.
Take care,
Karl
Juan F Roman 5 October 2009
NICE PHOTOS
I RRRReally liked the photos.
Best regards,
Juan
Karl Raats 21 January 2010
What I should have mentioned, but hadn't so far. When I started this challenge, there was a slight problem. I didn't have a camera, let alone the technical insight on how to use a proper body and lens.
So you read up, search the web, look at other people's work...you know, the works.
Still, no matter how much you dig in yourself, there's just no substitute for being able to work with a pro who is willing and able to share, participate, guide, reflect, support, confront, adjust, often just for the love of it.
I found such a pro in the person of Marc Milis. To cut a long story short; when the pro's can't figure it out anymore, they come to him. Enough said.
So this is how we worked together: I came up with a nutty idea, he pointed out what technical difficulties that needed to be overcome. Silently in the background, before, during and after the shoot, but always looking over my shoulder. After a little while you just know how to read a look. It tells you if you're on the right track or lets you know that you're not quite there yet.
You can't get that kind of interaction from a book, period.
Could I have done this without him? Irrelevant question. Am I the better for it that he was there, not just as a photgrapher? Undoubtedly yes.
Again, invaluable lesson learned. Honouring your teachers, is honouring yourself. For this stretch of the journey I am in Marc's debt.
I hope to be able to mean the same to him, as he did to this challenge as a whole and me in particular.
Again, I should have mentioned this earlier: not just as a tribute to Marc or all (rare) teachers like him, but because as with anything: we are the only ones who can walk our on path, but we can't do it alone. Nor should we!
Take care,
Karl
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