You never know where inspiration will come from. Recently I'd been reading all the buzz about Radiohead's newest music video for their song "House of Cards". What's so unique about their video? Well, to start, they shot it without cameras. Instead they used a new technology that uses lasers to produce real time 3D images. Now I really couldn't begin to tell you just how such a thing works, but you can watch a behind the scenes video here that explains a lot more. So how did the Radiohead video turn out? Take a look.
So that got me thinking, what could be done with lasers and a camera? I found a dark closet, a laser pointer, a bunch of random objects, a tripod and got to work.
First I set my camera up on the tripod and set it to "long time exposure". I found that the room was dark enough that even a 16 second exposure (the longest I could do) would turn out nearly completely black. The tripod is important for not only keeping the camera steady during such a long exposure but also giving you two hands to steady the aim of the laser pointer. I decided to first write my name with the laser during the exposure.
Pretty cool, but totally illegible (I can't read my own cursive either). So I did it in print.
I should note that the floor I'm "writing" on is carpeted and there's an Ethernet cable and part of a chair in the frame, but you'd never know it since only the "lasered" parts are exposed. Next up I put a motorcycle helmet down and traced it out as best as I could.
You can see the curved surface and face shield reflect the laser in different ways and add to the "halo" effect around the helmet itself. This is a good time to remind you that if you use lasers, be careful! Different objects can reflect their beam in many different directions and you should avoid getting the laser in your eyes.
That said, here's a perfect example of interesting reflections in this wine bottle:
Look at the way the left hand side reflected the laser. It looks to me almost as if someone threw the bottle down on the ground, it shattered, and the lasers on the left are the wine spilling out. What's your interpretation?
Next I tried to make it look as though the wine were shooting out the top. The intensity of the lasers reminds me of a neon sign (that intensity comes from keeping the lasers aimed at that spot longer during the exposure).
I just couldn't stop grabbing objects from around the house and lasering them up. Here I took a zippo lighter and tried to give it a "laser flame".
And finally I pulled out a guitar and tried to trace it out. This took a few tries since it is such a complex shape. I needed the full 16 seconds to trace it out. Here's the best one:
Now I'm wondering what other shapes, objects, and materials would look good under a laser? Maybe foil, or a glass of water? Let me know your ideas in the comments and I'll try them out for next time.
