The lightpainting community is small and spread all over the world. A close association, which is perceived far too little in the world of photography. We want to change this. In order to bring you some artists closer, we asked some artists, which are active on HIVE, to introduce themselves and to answer a few questions about light painting and their relation to it. Today we would like to introduce you to a very talented artist from England.
- Chris Thompson -
01. Please introduce yourself shortly. Name, Age and where you from etc.
My name is Chris Thompson, I’m slightly more over 50 than I want to be and live in Nottinghamshire on the border of the famous Sherwood Forest.
02. How and why did you start Light Painting?
I first started lightpainting completely by chance. I was already a keen photographer and was taking photographs of my young son demonstrating his skills with his toy light sabre. I had the camera mistakenly set to a one second exposure and the result I got was a revelation with a light trail made by the light sabre on the back of the camera. From then on, my interest grew and evolved over time.
03. What means Light Painting for you? What is your motivation? What drives you?
What lightpainting means for me is quite a difficult question; it started off as an experiment to see what I could achieve but became a whole different and unexpected thing. It’s always about the final result of the image but together with that comes the social aspect; I have met many people and made many potentially life-long friends in the pursuit of lightpainting. My motivation is mainly to create art but also to create something unique; just when you think you have an idea that no-one else has done in lightpainting, you realise someone has beat you to it. I’m driven to develop my own ideas and in turn combine them with established forms of lightpainting.
04. What gear do you always carry with you?
I always carry more tripods and flashstands than is necessarily healthy for me! I am a big fan of mid-exposure lens and tripod swaps. Lately I’ve realised I can’t take the kitchen sink with me to remote locations so I tend to reduce the amount of gear I carry. As a minimum I have lights of various kinds and at least two tripods and two lenses.
05. What is your favorite environment to shoot in?
My favourite environment to shoot in has to be abandoned or derelict buildings. The decay on the walls reveals textures all over the place when lit and I like to react to the surroundings and make an image work based on what I see, as I see it.
06. What is your Workflow?
My workflow is generally to recce a location and see what ideas are sparked and formulate an idea rather than trying to completely plan a shot in advance. Planning in advance and being inflexible only leads to disappointment. I work out the shot I’d like to make and think about in which order I need to do the shot. I have a bag full of manual lenses so I can set up each element by pre-focusing and working out the exposure for each element. Once happy with each element, I shoot them in one photographic exposure which involves swapping lenses and changing tripods along the way.
07. Who or what inspires you?
One of the first lightpainters I noticed on the web was LED Eddie. He was creating stuff which appealed to me and the initial challenge was trying to work out how he had made his images, they baffled me! One of the things LED Eddie said to me years ago was to develop your own signature style and take it further; something that struck a cord with me, cheers Neale!
08. What was your most memorable Lightpainting experience, event, or moment?
I’ve had many memorable lightpainting experiences but a standout for me isn’t what most of my compatriots might think. I was stood in a barn with a model who was holding burning smoke pellets with gelled flashguns all over the place and I remember being giddy when I realised I’d nailed the shot!
09. Do you have 3 Lightpainters you would like to have a colaboration with?
I have already lightpainted and collaborated with some of the best lightpainters there is but there are three more I would like to shoot with:
First on my list of lightpainting collaborators would be Jason D Page, a pioneer in the world of lightpainting. I remember a Youtube video of Jason performing his lightart on America’s Got Talent (I think that’s what it was!). I just need to jump on a plane to Florida!
Second would be Denis Smith. He’s done a lot over the years to promote the art form but unfortunately he lives on the other side of the world! I just need to jump on a plane to Australia!
And third would be LED Eddie, one of the lightpainters who has been very influential on my style and not quite as far as the other two!*
10. What are your best or most favourite 3 pictures?
These shots are my favourites
Titel: "The Light that burns twice as bright"
Titel: "Lianberies Rotation"
Titel: "Where Am Eye"
Thanks for taking the time for the interview and the inspiration mate!
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