Interview with Jeremy Jackson
Jeremy Jackson is a light painting ‘fanatic’ who lives along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Jeremy started waving lights in front of his camera in 2008 and has since developed vivid, creative and stunning pieces of art.
Light painting is an emerging trend in photography, in which the camera is exposed to a hand held light and produces a coloured pattern of where the light had been waved within the frame of the camera. (Requiring a long shutter speed)
Jeremy uses this technique along with other lighting methods to create beautifully illuminated photographs.
Check out more of his work in the links below:
Website: http://www.tackyshack.net
http://www.interactivelp.com
Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/tackyshack/
Interview:
1. What interests you most about working in Photography? Why do you take photos?
I wasn't truly interested in photography until I discovered long exposure light painting. The creative capabilities that a light painting artist has working within a frame for extended periods of time is way more fascinating than your typical fraction of a second snap shot. Time and space take on new meaning. You have control over so many variables that the possibilities are endless.
I take photos to escape reality and paint my imagination onto a scene with lights.
2. How did you get involved with the type of photography you are doing now?
I stumbled onto the scene in 2008 after playing with glow sticks in front of my point and shoot camera. I figured out how to set it to 15 second exposures and began testing different movements and ideas. After searching online I found other artists that were pushing their imagination into planned compositions of light. I acquired a DSLR shortly thereafter and became immersed in the scene and obsessed with taking the art to new levels.
3. In regards to equipment; what do type of gear do you find fits best with your work?
There are 4 crucial tools that any light painting artist must have to properly explore the art form. A DSLR camera, a tripod, a shutter release and a flashlight. The rest is trial and error and imagination. The shutter release is crucial if you want to be able to create a composition for longer than 30 seconds. My longest exposure to date was 27 minutes and there were countless steps involved.
I use a Canon t1i which is dated and low end in comparison to what's out there now but it works great and is more than adequate for light painting. I have a couple of Manfrotto tripods and a Nikon N65 film camera to capture light paintings on 35mm film.
I also have many different manual lenses. I stopped using auto lenses for light painting a long time ago after discovering that the aperture could be changed during a single exposure with a manual lens. This is a great capability that I appreciate given some lights are brighter than others just as some environments have more ambient light to deal with. I could not have created many of my photos without the ability to adjust aperture. For example, an LED strip is BRIGHT! I have to shoot it at f/11 - f/16 in order to avoid washing out the colors and lines. On the other hand, the gelled lighting of trees and other objects in the frame generally require f/4 - f/8 as they are not as bright. Shooting the two effects in separate frames and stacking them in post is a potential solution but if I'm using post production, then I'm not remaining true to the process.
4. Do you find there is any limitation with using the type of gear you described above?
Gear can always be tweaked to follow your will. The only limitation I have found doesn't involve the gear but the weather. All outdoor photographers rely on the weather to cooperate while shooting.
5. What inspires you to capture light painting images?
The journey into the unknown. I never know what photo will pop up on my display after closing the shutter. I always have a vision in mind but very rarely does it come out like I anticipate and the surprise is what keeps me coming back for more.
6. Do you find a lot of mishaps happen to your gear, when working (especially in the dark)?
Oh yeah! You trip over light tools, struggle to find switches, stumble over unseen objects, fumble around looking for flashlights or the perfect spot to wave a particular light. While setting up a composition you can have your headlamp on and feel out the space but once the lights go out and the shutter is open, it's a real challenge to feel comfortable with your surroundings.
7. What does your post process workflow look like?
It is imperative for me to have little to no post production. I shoot in RAW to avoid getting hot pixels in my long exposures. JPEGs always end up noisy. I convert the RAW files to Jpegs for uploading and on occasion I may have a small crop or bump in contrast/saturation but otherwise my photos remain "straight out of the camera" (SOOC)
8. What elements of the work bring you the most stress? and perhaps what encourages you?
The most stressful are commercial endeavors. I usually have set criteria for these shoots and having any limitations on what I am able to do creates dilemmas in my work flow. Otherwise, I light paint to relieve stress.
9. When you go out for a shoot do you bring along a team to help assist you?
The best aspect of light painting is collaboration. I have on many occasions had friends or fellow light painters join me in the planning and execution of a light painting photo. It's always a lot of fun and having someone with you while exploring around at night gives a certain level of comfort undoubtedly. Most times I shoot solo around my property in the country but I am always keen to join forces with others to share a collaborative vision.
My dear friend of many years, Aaron Bauer and I have started a business endeavor called "Interactive Light Painting". Our mission is to educate the public about light painting by having them participate in the creation of collaborative photos during workshops. It was well received by all ages and we are always looking to share it with more people. http://www.interactivelp.com
10. Do you have a dream assignment?
I have often thought that a team of artists creating complex photos quickly on a stage for an audience would be the ultimate form of light painting. While this may not become a reality in my lifetime, I hope more than anything that I get the opportunity to meet and create light paintings with some of the awesome artists I have gotten to know around the world. An international LP meet up would make this a reality and I do believe that this will happen in my lifetime.
11. If I ask you to give me some advice, what would it be?
Persistence. Never give up on a vision. I have so many ideas I have put to work and light tools I have created over the years. Some have worked out well, others have come up duds but I always learn from each experience and make adjustments in my techniques and equipment to reach my goal. Whenever I find myself losing inspiration and ambition, I look at the amazing photos from other LP artists around the world and rekindle my spirit. If you love what you do, do it as though it was your first or your last time. Be appreciative of your blessings and utilize them to enjoy the journey.