• OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:
To take this type of photo, you need a camera that can perform long exposure technique, a penlight or small flashlight and a dark room. While the camera's shutter is open, you draw what you have in mind, in the air using the flashlight. You won't be able to see what you are drawing, but the camera would capture everything.
• PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:
Photos were taken over two nights in July 2016, Arak, Iran and this single shot ( Photo number 09 ) was taken at my grandmother’s home in the north of Iran in summer 2019.
• PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:
All light lines seen in the photos were drawn in just 30 seconds using the long exposure technique (in some cases it was 15 seconds long). We used a decorative light-up as the point of light, and the dark room as our canvas. No after-effects or filters were applied after the photos were captured.
• SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:
Camera model: Cannon EOS 6D ISO speed : ISO-4000 Exposure time : 15 to 30 sec
• RESEARCH ABSTRACT :
One of the main research objectives in this project was to find the perfect flashlight that could best create the perfect light color with the perfect level of brightness. Some flashlights made too bright light lines that lightened up the whole room and ruined the photo. Some made cold bluish light lines that couldn't create the right atmosphere for emotions we wanted to represent. We ended up using a small angel-shaped LED candle that made warm thin light lines for us and acted just like a painting brush.
• CHALLENGE :
Drawing shapes and characters without seeing what you are drawing exactly and where you are drawing them in the air, is the hardest part. And to name a few other challenges: The painter should be moving all the time so the camera won't capture his/her figure in the photograph, meanwhile the model has to stand still without any movements the whole time so the photo won't get blurry.
