This is Gerry O'Leary. Gerry likes to take pictures, preferably of buildings and interiors. He just does it extremely well.  Case in point, Gerry is one of just two masters of architectural photography within the Eurozone and is commissioned to photograph landmark buildings in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait. (www.gerryoleary.com)

To cut a long story short, Gerry O'leary sleeps, eats and breaths photography. I was tremendously honored when Gerry took the time to give me my 3rd PtO challenge, which quite simply was:

"Learn how to paint with light!"

"If you want to understand my passion for photography", he explained," you will have to experience that there is no picture if there is no light. Taking a picture basically means you paint with light". That pretty much sounded like a given, but what does that mean in the real world. Well, first of all, I needed to get myself a camera and so I treated myself with a Nikon D90. (I love this job)

Next, I was supposed to mount the camera on a tripod, set it up in a dark room (not a darkroom, but a very dark room), open the shutter and use different light sources to 'tell the story of that room', as he put it. So this is where I started. I found these hideous fake flowers in a bungalow where we stayed during summer 2009 and started shooting them, in the dark, shutter open for about 10 seconds, while lighting them up with cheap 1 EURO light sources, candles and flash lights.
Very much to my surprise, this is what happened to them.

I was amazed with the result. How could these cheap, fake, paper flowers turn out to be so much fun to work with and end up far more beautiful than I had ever anticipated? And if I could make this little ugly things look OK, what would painting with light do to more likeable things, such as, oh…say, my daughters?

I set up the tripod, put the camera on 10 second exposure and timer and then I needed to get Robin and Sam to remain motionless for about 10 seconds while I ran behind them, drawing their wings with a flash light. Again, so easy to do and with really nice results. No photoshop required!

OK, now that I got the hang of it, it was time to give Gerry's challenge some serious consideration. If you Google Light painting, you will find numerous experiments differing in quality and setting, but most of them are in pretty obvious places. In the street, in someone's private residence, in nature. All of which are pretty accessible.
So I started looking for something more interesting, which brought me to this phenomenon called 'urban exploring'. Urban exploring comes down to breaking in abandoned buildings and industrial sites at night and taking nightly pictures, while dogging the police and security staff. What would happen if you were to combine 'Light Painting' with 'Urban Exploring'?

Best case scenario, with a light sculpture in a unique setting. Worst case scenario, behind bars while having your equipment confiscated. Hmmm. Thinking creatively though, you know there's always a way out, always an alternative. So I asked what other buildings are interesting to shoot, but normally inaccessible at night? Those would be: churches, public buildings, museums, that sort of things.
And so I compiled a list of buildings I wanted to shoot at night while running around with flash lights and other light sources. I wrote an email to several places, stating that I was neither an artist, nor a photographer, but that I have this weird 'Pinching the Ostrich' project going on, after which I politely asked whether it was OK to pay them a nightly visit to take a Paint with Light picture…

Guess what?! It was OK! That's when I teamed up with an old friend of mine, Marc Milis. Marc shot our wedding pictures 10 years ago and came on board for one reason and one reason only: the love for photography. As I wrote earlier, when I started this challenge, I didn't have a camera, let alone the technical insight on how to use a proper body and lens.
So I read up, searched the web, looked at other people's work...you know, the works.
Still, no matter how much you dig in yourself, there's just no substitute for being able to work with a pro who is willing and able to share, participate, guide, reflect, support, confront, adjust, often just for the love of it. I found such a pro Marc Milis. To cut a long story short; when the pro's can't figure it out anymore, they come to him. Enough said.

So this is how we worked together: I came up with a nutty idea, he pointed out what technical difficulties that needed to be overcome. Silently in the background, before, during and after the shoot, but always looking over my shoulder. After a little while you just know how to read that look that tells you if you're on the right track or lets you know that you're not quite there yet. You can't get that kind of interaction from a book, period.

Could I have done this without him? Irrelevant question. Am I the better for it that he was there, not just as a photographer? Undoubtedly yes. And in the process I was reminded of an invaluable lesson: Honoring your teachers, is honoring yourself. For this stretch of the journey I am in Marc's debt. One day I hope to be able to mean the same to him, as he meant to this challenge as a whole and to me in particular.
I see this challenge not just an answer to Gerry's question, but as a tribute to Marc and all teachers like him. Because as with all challenges in life: we are the only ones who can walk our own path, but we can't do it alone. Nor should we!

On Trail

This first picture was taken in the former House of Province in my hometown of Antwerp. It took roughly 9 minutes to shoot with 7 different light sources. I ran around 'painting with light', while Marc handed me the different light sources while guiding me with his voice in the dark, encouraging me to test this and that, adjust such and so.

Not because he wanted to show of his knowledge, but because he wanted me to find out my lessons for myself. And if you get to do one picture in one unusual place, it's so much easier getting others on board.

Time vortex

And so we ended up at the old tram museum. A completely different setting under completely different conditions. Again, I'm rushing things, Marc's sees the whole proverbial picture and slows things down, let's me take in the surroundings, how the lights reflects on different surfaces, how different angles create different dynamics in the movement of the light.

Not by telling me that they do, but by letting me experiencing it.
And then there's this one.

In his master's shadow

Do you know this place? Do you recognize it? It's the large studio of the Rubens house. It is the very centre of Peter Paul Rubens' (1577-1640) world. This is where the majority of his paintings where made. And there we were, taking in the room and the significance of our presence there.

I cannot describe how humbling it was standing there, being allowed to paint, once more, where so many masterpieces haven been made. All the light you see is artificially added with flash lights and other light sources. No Photoshop effects.

I still can't get over it.
Three months prior to this picture, I didn't even own a camera.
Three months prior to this, my friends and family thought it was nuts even hoping for a single permission to get into any building, let alone the Rubens House.
Three months prior to this shot I didn't even know there was such a thing as Light Painting. But the best part of this challenge? Being able to work with great teachers, people that enable, people that believe.

The result of this challenge is not my doing, not really, it is simply the result of the flow others enabled.
I cannot thank them enough.

Take care,
Karl

5P rating of this challenge:

Positivity: ✮✮✮✮
Believing that we could pull this off, despite everyone around us telling us differently (you will never get permission, ect...) was absolutely crucial in starting the momentum.
Playfulness: ✮✮✮✮✮
Believe me, running around in your garden during the dark of night to check the effect of different light sources is about as silly as silly can feel.
Passion: ✮✮✮
From my part only ✮ would apply, since all it took was my willingness to absorb the knowledge of people around me. As far as Marc is concerned, he's all ✮✮✮✮✮ No doubt about it! Hence three stars for the both of us. 
Perseverance: ✮
It didn't take that much perseverance. We didn't meet that much resistance. If any. All it took was a little patience for the red tape to come through.
Persuasion: ✮✮
Contrary to what I thought would be needed to get this show on the road. All it took was one e-mail after which people started persuading themselves. Hilariously effective.

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