OK, seriously, by the time December 25 comes around we are glad for a day off, but jeez, we have been pummeled with holiday cheer since September. As a bitter and dangerously sexy antidote to the saccharin of the season, we go to Boots Bryant, who always seems to have something nasty, funny, and imaginative to get us all jacked up again.
We asked Boots about his technique: "I discovered light painting in 2012 after a breakup. My assistant at the time suggested it as a way to lift me up out of the dumps. He saw a photographer's blog that vaguely explained the technique and we went to the beach that night after the sun went down to give it a try. You leave the camera on a tripod and set your camera to manual so you can keep the shutter open for long exposures. When you point the light at something, or a model, you "paint" them into the photo. Then in the dark you can move around without showing up on camera. If you then turn the light source at the camera, it "paints" into the air as if onto a canvas. Since taking a break from photography in 2015 I started learning to draw and sketch, which is a skill I'm hoping to use to improve light-painting photos I take in the future.
"Right now I'm mostly painting, like actual paint on canvas, and drawing, and writing songs, but I hope to get back to photography again soon when the time and project is right."
Connect with Boots Bryant ("Where Filth Meets Fine Art") on Facebook to see more of his work.
