Further experiments with Light

After my previous my experiments outside I brought my images inside to create some different styles that were perhaps more visually pleasing. I used different coloured lights with the usual set up of black background and the camera with the lights turned off. I was hoping that the colour in the lights may create more atmosphere. I had a look around the house to see what types of lighting I could find that would create playful and different images.

I firstly used fairy lights to illuminate my face. The lights were tiny so I wasn't sure just how much of my face they would illuminate. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the lights did actually illuminate my face and they created quite a dark atmosphere that is perhaps seeking more light but the effect keeps the tone down slightly.

I borrowed a butterfly light from my sister, much like the ones that are brought from the circus and other such entertainment venues. The butterfly did give off minimal light meaning that my face was definitely the in the background of the image, with the butterfly taking up the foreground. I think the image is effective though as the shadow from the butterfly is reflected onto my face.

 The glow sticks were found in my room from a party I had previously used them for. They don't give off as much light as the other light forms I have found so they did require the use of a back light which was a torch. I did not want to use flash as it illuminated my face slightly too much but the torch just gave enough light to ensure  did not fall too much into the background. I think the image holds quite a lot of atmosphere in its style with the anonymity of the face being shielded by the sticks.

 I also found a disco ball in the loft. Obviously the image seems quite out of focus particularly with the ball however rather than keeping the ball motionless I let it rotate as that's the normal use of the ball. It gives the image a sense of movement. As well as this, being bright it gives off a lot of light and a lot of colour creating a disco type feel to the image.

 This image is one of my favourite out of the whole set. I was purely coincidental how the  shadow created a mask over my face and I think this takes the image up a level in composition. Because the light gave off so much light it forced its way through my hands to even illuminate up to the face even though it was on the floor. The colours in the image are quite yellow which makes the colour palette quite similar however I think the black of the face enhances the image fully and creates a sense of the unknown.

This image was the most fun to make. I purchased some UV body paint from a local shop but was quite apprehensive about using it as I wasn't sure on its quality. The light is a UV light that is just one tube in the fitting. It illuminated the whole space so did not require any extra back lighting. The effect it has given is brilliant! I did not realise just how well the paint would show up and did not find out until I viewed the images after. As well as the light the use of the paint highlights particular aspects of the face which adds to the overall atmosphere of the image.

This final image was using a disco light that my dad owns. It has a rotating modem inside that rotates to the sound of music or noise. I set it on a table at the height of my elbow and it projected upwards slightly. The coloured light reflections are much bigger than in the other lights I have used, this is possibely due to the fact that the lighting was professional. The colours fully illuminate the face and my expression gives a slight sense of wanting more from the image as the viewer is unaware of where and what the colour is coming from.