When one door opens, a window closes. Or was it when life hands you lemons, have your cake, and eat it too? Something like that. Regardless, that has nothing to do with light painting sci-fi portals.
Doors, doorways, or entrances of just about any sort interest me, and I’ve noticed that I take many photos of them. Perhaps it’s the exciting nature of what a doorway could be or mean. Sure, it can be a way to close off or seal off for protection. They suggest a degree of privacy that piques my curiosity. My imagination takes the wheel as I ponder the reality on the other side. Then, sometimes, my mind takes it a step further into the realm of science fiction. Maybe it’s a portal to another dimension or a fast travel point. This kind of daydreaming is only a problem if you find yourself standing in front of a door to the bathroom and there’s a long line of antsy people behind you.
The unknown aspects combined with the potential of transitions in a story prompted this photo series. Inspired by a dream that becomes harder to recall the further I am from it, I intended to create something that captured the dramatic tension of first seeing a mysterious portal. There were moments in my dream when I was briskly walking through my neighborhood and suddenly felt the presence of this portal before I saw it. It was less distinct in my dream, but there was that familiar dramatic tension. It's a mix of anticipation and foreboding. It all felt very Kubrick.
My vision for this series was to recreate the anxiety and excitement I felt in my dream while giving it a cinematic quality. At the same time, I wanted to work out changes in my personal life—things I didn't quite have answers to but needed to face nonetheless. But that's a story for another time.
I decided the final images would have a 16 x 9 aspect ratio and planned my shots so that the core focus was in the middle third of each image. That challenged me, but layering elements from foreground to background made the composition process easier. It also forced me to select angles that inherently leaned in the direction of action of some sort.
The portal was created in camera with the Godox LC-500 Bi-Color LED Light Stick. It’s a compact handheld light measuring about 22 inches that can be stuffed in a bag for easy carrying. All the images were shot with a 35mm or 28mm lens. The wider angle worked great to add some additional tension within the scene, as in the shot with the basement walkout of a building.
I shot some practice images to test out creating the portal. Manufacturing this in post was an option, but I wanted as many practical elements in the shot as possible. The final image needed to look to scale and fit within the surroundings. Plus, I wanted the light to interact with the environment. I used a long exposure and made three passes traveling up and down to light paint the portal in about 8 to 10 seconds. Later in post, I corrected the shape and used the imperfections to give the portal some character.
The only question I have is whether I want to include the black bars on top and bottom to sell the cinematic concept further. There's also a few more images I have planned. Stay tuned.
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