LIGHTSCAPES
Chromoluminal metamorphosis in the era of digital photography
“Lightscapes” comes from the original idea of photography, the concept of drawing with light, taken to the extremes thanks to modern technology. The purpose is to decontextualize the subjects, inciting the curiosity of the observer who, to interpret the origin of the images, is brought to analyze them, fantasize and understand the level of abstraction.
The project was born at the dawn of digital photography and was prepared over many years of travel, study and research. It then took more concrete form with the evolution of image development techniques, in particular with the continuous improvement of quality to the development process.
This result was achieved using various techniques that, at the beginning of the creative and artistic process, were part of experiments aimed at understanding the true potential of the RAW format, namely the digital negative, and of the so-called “digital dark room”, keystone of the entire research.
In the analog era the photographer was forced to decide in advance the type of film, the sensitivity, the chromatic effect or the black and white rendering, with limited freedom of manipulation, relegated to the stage of chemical development and printing. Conversely, while the images generated by the sensor of digital cameras can be processed as if they were in a traditional darkroom, this process begins earlier, from original data of enormous versatility, the RAW format. This format is indeed able to reproduce a very wide range of shades of color and light, without any qualitative compromise. This information is interpreted in an increasingly more precise, complex and in-depth manner as the software evolves and the photographer obtains complete control, from the moment of shooting and throughout the acquisition, development and printing process. This level of freedom has triggered the creative process that has led to experimenting, selecting and applying shooting techniques and post-production of images aimed at achieving the desired aesthetic result.
The photographs were taken in city context: the subjects are details of lamps, sculptures, buildings or lighting systems with refined design, urban furnishings and shop windows. At the time of shooting, the type of cameras, lenses, underexposure level, blurring and framing were carefully chosen. In post-production, color and tonal correction techniques, high levels of contrast and other forms of manipulation have been used to make the images partially unrecognizable and depict them in an abstract, almost dreamlike way, as foreseen by the entire creative process.
A decisive contribution to the final impact is given by the specific photographic Lambda printing technique, on translucent backlit Fujitrans film, which, thanks to the use of A3 displays of acrylic material with integrated LED lighting, further highlights the colors and contrasts, giving a unique shine to the images.
