The Art and Science of Light Painting

Authors

Reid GodshawFollow

Abstract

A short overview of the making of light painting portraits explained by the artist.

DOI

10.5642/steam.20160202.23

Author/Artist Bio

I’m Reid Godshaw, the artist behind Harmonic Light. I’ve been creating light painting portraits for over five years. The majority of these images were created at the many festivals and events I have covered in that time, resulting with me taking portraits of over 100,000 people. When I started Harmonic Light my objective was to create images that represent the people depicted, to show more than surface level imagery. The portraits express the personality of the subject in a way that is more than just a flash of reality and help to snap them out of their normal “I’m having my photo taken” pose and be vibrant. Collaborating with my subjects creates an interpretation of that person’s energy. In order to understand the individuals very quickly I ask my collaborators to dig deep and seek answers to big questions, allowing me connect with them on a human level and interpret what I feel into a portrait. One of the earliest portraits I took ended up as a profile photo on social media. I realized it was a direct fulfillment of my artistic mission, to represent themselves with an image made to represent them, because the person themselves felt it was an authentic representation of themselves. Since then thousands of people across the United States have made these Harmonic Light images into their profile images… it still makes me smile to see these individuals reveal the light they feel within. See more at: harmonic-light.com

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Godshaw, Reid (2016) "The Art and Science of Light Painting," The STEAM Journal: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 23. DOI: 10.5642/steam.20160202.23
Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/steam/vol2/iss2/23