Contact Show, 2010. “Light Workers”

Painting with Light. The process involves a tripod and long shutter speeds in ultra low light situations. A black studio. A night time scene. All fixed points of light create amazing star-bursts in the final image. Moving points of light create points of reference, as to where that light source has been, and where it could be potentially going. We have all seen trailing car lights blaze through an evening street scene. Imagine this reference controlled, with masters of the line, wielding the light sources to create amazing works of art, captured only within a photograph.

I’ve been collaborating with graffiti artists, painters and a flashlight for nearly 5 years. This year I showed it at the Contact festival with my series, “Lightworkers.” All images are created in camera, with no manipulation whatsoever. This was a Featured Exhibit for Contact Photography Festival 2010 and debuted at the Baitshop during the month of May.

By choosing to collaborate with a most accomplished graffiti artist, Skam as well as painters Jon Todd and Kwame Delfish, I put the flashlights in capable hands. The result is a body of photographs shot both in studio and on location that have the depth of a still as well as a feeling of motion as you follow the light trails through the image.

Watch behind the scenes footage of my shoot with Skam here.

Lightpainters: Skam, Jon Todd, Kwame Delfish.