This document discusses several light artists and provides analysis of the author's own light photography experiments. It summarizes the work of 10 light artists, including Michael Bosanko who uses light batons and xenon lights, Patrick Rochon who uses traffic batons, and Lichtfaktor who works with LED lights. It also analyzes the author's three experimental light photography shoots, comparing their work to artists like Toby Keller and Eric Staller, and discusses edits made to improve composition, contrast and focus.

1. AS Photography Exam Coloured Light. By Giorgio Frattolillo

2. Artist Research Michael Bosanko : Michael Bosanko is my favourite light photographer. He did the adverts for Talk Talk, and I think that his work is extraordinary! He uses light batons, xenon lights, torches and LED light sticks to create his work. When he creates his photography, he uses a tripod, with the ISO levels on about 200, and his shutter on about 15 seconds. I love the way that he creates people, abstract monsters / figures and animals at night in a range of different places. I love the scale of his work, it is huge! The way that his work is drawn with great accuracy and so quickly inspires me, and In my photoshoots I would really like to try and do this. I think that Michael Bosanko is defiantly the artist who inspires me the most to do light graffiti and I will definitely be trying to do some work like his. http://tinyurl.com/6yfzenv

3. Patrick Rochon Patrick Rochon mainly uses traffic batons to create his work as they have a wide bulb which creates thicker strokes than a normal torch. The art in which he focuses on is the figure, and he like to use lights and abstract colours and shapes to build up the shape of a figure within different layers of light. He also uses laser pens to create smaller, more detailed parts on the figure. http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/07/10-amazing-light-graffiti-artists-and-photographers/

4. LICHTFAKTOR http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/07/10-amazing-light-graffiti-artists-and-photographers/ Lichtfaktor (Lightfactor) are a group of light graffiti artists from Germany. They mainly use LED sticks and LED torches to create this effects. Alot of the time, they do there work in the late afternoon, where it isn't completely dark, so it looks as if they haven't drawn the light there, it looks natural. I really like their technique for doing this as you cannot see the artist but the light looks as if it just there and they have photographed it. These artists do not work on figures (as much as the other 2 artists I have previously researched), and there main focus is on the landscape and capturing the right moment to create the light graffiti.

5. Eric Staller http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/07/10-amazing-light-graffiti-artists-and-photographers/ Staller is an extraordinary light graffiti artist. He uses different coloured LED sticks and also xenon lights to make this amazing photography. Just light the German light graffiti photographers, Eric Staller’s work is mainly focused on landscape shots and making abstract shapes to make the scene look natural (to an extent). His work inspires me to want to try and create this type of abstract light graffiti. Also, in some of his work it is at night and other parts it is late afternoon, so I am going to experiment and try taking photo in light and late afternoon, and also in daylight too.

6. Ryan Warnberg and Michelle McSwain (MRI) http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/07/10-amazing-light-graffiti-artists-and-photographers/ MRI are partners in light graffiti, who are from America. They call there work ‘painting with light’, and I really like their style of work as it is a little different than every other artists as their work is a bit more suttle in size but the detail and the time taken to set up each shot seems to look like it has taken longer to think about / organize and the detail looks a little better than some other photos- their work doesn’t look as rushed. I will try to create something like this as I love their shaped used and how long they have spent directing them.

7. Sola http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/07/10-amazing-light-graffiti-artists-and-photographers/ Sola is a light graffiti artist who uses alot of different colours in different shoots which I think looks amazing. He manly uses light batons (traffic batons) as they provide much wider and thicker strokes compared to led light sticks and torches, and the effect in the final photo means that the bits that look coloured in do not have strokes, they are one smooth flowing colour, with no strokes between it, giving the photo a very natural look to it as it flows very freely. I am going to try and get hold of a traffic baton and try out this style of making full shapes with no strokes.

8. Toby Keller http://weburbanist.com/2008/07/07/10-amazing-light-graffiti-artists-and-photographers/ Toby Keller creates some amazing work with light. He uses very random shapes in very broad, landscape locations. He mainly creates his light in daylight, or late evening rather than in complete darkness, so that you can still see the background – making the photo more interesting to look at due to the random shapes and lines within the photo. I really like Toby Keller because he has a different approach to painting with light, he doesn’t draw things that are totally recognisable, but he draws think create an illusion in the photo as they look so realistic, due to him taking the photos in daylight but you can still not see him – so it looks as if he has taken the photo as if the streaks of light were naturally there.

9. Photoshoot #1

15. Photoshoot #1 Analysis Unfortunately, I am not going to be picking out a final photo for this photoshoot. As this was my first go at taking this style of photography, I feel that the photoshoot was more of an experiment, to find out how I could do this, and what type of shapes could be drawn. I also used this photoshoot to have a go with different setting on my camera – I was (and I still am) experimenting with the different length shutter speeds, F Stop levels, aperture size, and also the different times of day / different locations I could do it in. For the future shoots, I will be aiming to create more detailed pieces of light graffiti, and I will be aiming to try and make something that fits in with the environment around it so it looks as if the light is actually there. I would relate this work the photographer Toby Keller due to the abstract shapes and lines drawn using the light. The only differences I could find between mine and his photos are that the locations are very different, as this photoshoot was taken in a dark room (but it only looks light due to the ISO settings being too high) and his are taken in daylight outside.

16. Photoshoot #2

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31. Photoshoot #2 Analysis Again, this photoshoot I would describe as one of my ‘experiment photoshoots. I am able to pick out my favourite shot and a final shot for this photoshoot, purely because I really like the depth of it. The photo I am going to be choosing is P1282222 . Although this photograph is not completely in focus, I really like the depth and perspective of the photo, and I also like the range of colours in the photo. Analysing the whole photoshoot, I think that this did go well as an experiment, and to make it better I would probably have had to of had more experience with the settings on my camera, as at this stage I was just fiddling around and seeing what I came out with. I would relate this photoshoot as a whole to the photographer Eric Staller, as he uses perspective, depth, precision and definition in some, and in others he made very random to create abstract shapes.

32. Editing Of Photo shoot 2 Firstly I decided to change the levels of the photo. I did this to increase the contrast between the red light and the white light. Next, I changed the vibrancy of the photo, to soften the light a little and not make it so bright.

33. Final Edit I have decided to stop editing my photo from this point. I think that if I edited it anymore it would become too over edited and the image would look like it has been over photo-shopped. My favorite thing about this photograph is the depth and the way in which the sky’s texture and colour contrasts with the light on the roads. I would relate this photo to the artist Eric Staller due to the depth and perspective within the photo. If I were to take this photo again, I would have made sure that it was in focus a lot more so that the image was a better quality

34. Photoshoot #3

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39. Photoshoot #3 Analysis This photoshoot was quite small, and I didn't take many photos for it. In this photoshoot I was aiming to actually draw some things that people could actually tell what they were, and I was experimenting with my camera again. In the photoshoot I tried using the flash to take a still image of the location and then I would draw over it, so it looked as if the drawing was actually in the location. My favourite photo from this shoot was photo P3083178 . Even though the photo is cut off at the top, I like the way the flash has taken a still image of the table and chairs, but then the light is there aswell, and it looks as if I have taken the photo and the light was there when I took it. I would relate this work to the photographers LICHTFAKTOR and also Michael Bosanko because they both draw onto images which have been taken first with the flash on, and then they draw their graffiti over the still image, to make it look as if the light was naturally there when they took it.

40. Firstly I desaturated the photo, as I thought that the colour version had too many different colours in which caused distractions to the main focus Next, I decided to use the ‘replace colour’ tool on Photoshop. I did this to create the vignette effect and to darken the photo, making a stronger, sharper contrast between the light and the grayscale background.

41. Next I used the levels tool, and made the photo slightly darker and manipulated the light to make the contrast just a tiny bit stronger. Here I cropped the photo. I did this as I thought the composition of the photo was improved a lot more and I felt that the edges were a slight distraction. I also spotted a small leaf in the bottom right hand corner of the photo which I felt needed to be cropped out.

42. Thjs is the final edit of this photograph. As you can see I have used the clone stamp tool to remove the lampshade from the top of the photo, I could have cropped this out but I felt tat then the photo wouldn’t look as good as part of the heart would be chopped off. I really like the contrast in this photograph and I also quite like the composition. If I were to take this again, I would maybe take it in a slightly different environment (or move the lampshade out of the way) and maybe change my clothes to something like a suit, as I think that it would look great with a dark suit, as it would contrast with the light even more and maybe fit in with the background a little more. I would relate this to the photographers LICHTFAKTOR and also Michael Bosanko because they both draw onto images which have been taken first with the flash on, and then they draw their graffiti over the still image, to make it look as if the light was naturally there when they took it.

43. Photoshoot #4

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52. Photoshoot #4 Analysis I have chosen 5 photos for final shots in Photoshoot #3. the reason I chose these particular photos are because they were taken at the late evening, rather than at night, which gave a very warm feeling to the photos. The sky also contrasts well with the colour of light. The photos I have chosen are the best 5 from my photoshoot, because they are the sharpest, and you can also tell what the drawings actually are. I would relate the photos from this photoshoot to the photographers Michael Bosanko, due to the very fine lines creating detailed drawings, and I would relate photo P3163257 to LICHTFAKTOR because of the abstract shape drawn on a landscape.

53. Editing Of Photo P3163257 First I decided to crop the image, as I felt that the background was unnecessary and didn’t need to be seen. I also think that the symmetry worked better in a smaller frame. Here I used the replace colour tool to make the background darker so that the light would stand out a lot more and give a stronger contrast

54. This is the final edit of this photograph. I decided to create 3 extra copies of the image, and then flip them and make it look like they were being reflected even more. I then decided to change the Hue in the images to create the different colours. I really liked this photo from when I took it as of the symmetry between the 2 figure shaped abstract drawings, and It was very unexpected, I didn’t actually mean to get them as if they looked almost the same, but I think that it gives a great effect. If I were to take it again, I would have maybe of tried doing the same thing again, or maybe by doing one next to a mirror as an experiment. I would relate this photograph to the photographer Patrick Rochon as he colours in alot of figures and objects using light to create abstract shapes and colours forming the object.

55. Editing Of Photos P3163269, P3163291, and P3163293. Firstly I decided to replace the colour of the photo so that it would be made darker to that the light would be sharper. I then imported my photo of the spider which I drew with the light, resized it, duplicated it and laid it out so there would be three smaller spiders and one larger one.

56. I then did the same, imported, duplicated and laid out my drawing of the flower. This is the final edit, and in this I did not manipulate the light as much as usual. I did this because I felt that the images did not need to be manipulated too much. If I were to take this photo again, then I would maybe draw the spider again as some parts of it are more feint than others. I would relate this photo to the photographer Patrick Rochon, again because of the drawings in an abstract format.

57. Editing Of Photo P3163297 Firstly I replaced the colour to make the photo darker. Next I rotated the photo, so that I could get the horizon line straight

58. I then cropped the image as some of the background and the edges were unnecessary and a distraction to the main focus. I then made the photo slightly more suttle as I felt that the light was too strong, and had too much of a glow to it. I did this by lowering the saturation levels in the photo.

59. I still thought that the photo was glowing too much and that the light was too bright and had a strong glare to it, so I manipulated the levels of highlights and shadows to lower the glare down. I then increased the contrast to make the light slightly stronger but without making a glare.

60. Here is the final edit of this photo. I really like the different colours within the photo and how they contrast very strongly with each other and the background. If I were to take this photograph again I would make the end of the block/building be finished and not just have half of it there, and I couldn’t crop it out as the photo didn’t look right just going off the edge of the page. I would relate this photograph to the artist to LICHTFAKTOR because of the abstract shape drawn as a landscape.

61. Photoshoot #5

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67. Photoshoot #5 Analysis I felt that this was a much more successful Photoshoot that the other ones. I think that this is because I was becoming alot more confident with drawing shapes with the light. I was also trying to ‘colour things in’ – such as the sheds and also the greenhouse. When I was doing the Photoshoot, I was experimenting alot more. This is shown by the last photo chosen, as I was experimenting with depth alot more during the Photoshoot, by starting at the back of the garden and moving forward, which gives a great sense of depth as the light is coming straight towards the camera. I would relate this Photoshoot to the photographers Patrick Rochon and Eric Staller. I would relate It to Patrick Rochon as he colours in alot of figures and objects using light to create abstract shapes and colours forming the object. I would relate this Photoshoot to Eric Staller because of the depth in his light graffiti photography, as the light in his photos goes right back into the distance, which is the same effect as I was trying to achieve in some of the photos in this Photoshoot.

68. Editing of photo P3183313 AND P3203318 Firstly I merged both images together. I then replaced the colour with black so that the background would become darker. I then made the saturation levels slightly smaller just to reduce the brightness of the lights.

69. I really like the depth of this photo. I love how far back the light goes and I also like the trails of fire looking light go backwards in the distance, I also have not decided to make the sky black, because I think that seeing the stars, which relates to space, gives the photo an alien look to it. I would relate this photo to Michael Bosanko due to the precision, and also Eric Staller because of the depth in his light graffiti photography, as the light in his photos goes right back into the distance.

70. Editing of photo P3203314 AND P3203332 Here I merged the images together. I then cropped the image as the spiraled light image was slightly smaller when the Wendy house was lined up with the photo of the people stood on fire, so I had to crop it out as it was not finished.

71. I then replaced the colour of the photo to make the background darker and to increase the contrast between the light and the background. Here I reduced the saturation of the photo to just make the light slightly more dull as it did stand out a bit too much from the background.

72. Here is the final edit of this photo. I love the depth in this photo and I would most definitely relate this to Eric Staller, due to his amazing precision and depth throughout his light graffiti photo shoots. If I were to take this again I would make the fire slightly bigger and maybe a bit sharper, or even maybe colour it in. I would also relate this work to Michael Bosanko as of his precision when drawing with light and also the abstract figures.

73. Photoshoot #6

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77. Editing of photo P3283358 AND P3283369 Here I merged the 2 images together. I then used the clone stamp tool to remove the red streak of light at the bottom of the photo as I felt that it was a distraction.

78. I then changed the levels of the photo to make the contrast slightly stronger. I then made the image slightly less desaturated to reduce the brightness of the light.

79. This is my final edit of this photo. I love the way that the photo does look a little mysterious due to the shadow at the end of the red trail. I would relate this photograph to the photographer Toby Keller due to the abstract shapes on a landscape.

80. My Layouts For My Edited Photos