Michael Bosanko

Michael Bosanko has been capturing light since 2004, when he came across light painting by accident. Michael is from South Wales but has taken light painting photography all around the UK, Europe and the Middle East. He makes regular trips to London working on various commissions. I have decided to pick this photographer to write about as I find whole idea of light painting very fascinating and appealing. I have seen a lot of light painting photography taken in a studio, but Michael's is taken in various locations that sometimes work with the light paintings to create a scene, which is one of the reasons it stands out for me. I also  like how this photographer creates words and objects with light, rather than abstracts swirls and shapes like some other photographers do.

This image is a good example of the kind of light painting Michael creates. You can see here how he creates real objects, characters or people rather than just capturing completely random swirls or shapes of light. I find it fascinating how you cannot see any people in the image, which creates a sense of mystery and enigmas as the viewer may wonder how the image was created. The lights are all very colourful and vivid which makes them stand out as they contrasts against the dull building. This allows the shape of the pacman and the ghosts to be seen very clearly. We can see from the roof  and the graffiti that contrasts against the white walls that this location is quite worn down and may be abandoned. This works well with the dark lighting and the emptiness of the area to created a secluded atmosphere. In my opinion I this this is more effective than if this image was taken in a very busy area, as we can focus more on the lights. I like the way different sources of light are used. We can see that the light used to create the shape of the pacman is different to the light used to create the ghosts, as it is more bold and the edges are more precise. To create the pacman a long stick of light may have been used and then moved in a circle form while the picture was being taken, whereas the ghosts look as though individual coloured torches were used in order to create a more floaty look, which suggests they are moving.  

Here is another, slightly different example of Michaels light painting. White lights have been used to create text against a beautiful landscape. The white letters contrast significantly against the dark background so that we are able to read the word very clearly. The size of the text in the frame also makes it very clear for us to see. Something I like about the text in this image is the way it looks as if it is resting on the road. I think that this is more effective than if the text was floating, as it looks as if the letters are standing up, and physically touching the road, interacting with the surroundings. A specific font has been used when writing out these letters, which I think would look a lot more bold and neat than if the word was written quickly and messily in someone's everyday handwriting. The road in the background shows depth as we can see it gets smaller the further into the distance it travels. I really like the orange and purple tones in the sky, as it adds interest to the image while still keeping it simple. we can see a clear outline of the hill in the distance as it contrasts against the sky. Once again, the image has been taken in a empty area, with no people or buildings in sight. I feel this is effective as it creates a secluded feel and a sense of loneliness. I also think that people or buildings in the frame may distract the eye from the light painting. We cannot see the source of light or the person conducting it, which creates enigmas for the viewer, leaving them fascinated. 

I think that this photograph is very clever in the way that the light paintings look as though they are interacting with the surroundings. Something that makes this even more effective is the  reflection of light under the skating stick man, as if he was really there. The surroundings in this image are quite dark and dull which helps to make the light paintings stand out as they contrasts against this. White graffiti contrasts against the dull skate ramp which gives the impression this is an urban area. The skate ramp shows depth as it gets smaller the further away from the camera it is, and the same goes for the row of trees in the background. I like the fact that the two light paintings are different colours as they are clearly established as two different characters. The image is taken in an empty area which again creates a sense of loneliness, and the source of light cannot be seen, creating enigmas for the audience and keeping them interested.  

This image is slightly different to the other 3 I have analysed, as no artificial source of light has been used to create objects or characters. The image shows the movement of the stars in the sky which has been achieved by a slow shutter speed. I really like the way the objects on the ground are still, while the sky shows a clear movement, and the circular formation the stars make is very appealing to the eye while creating a pattern. I really like the orange and purple tones in the sky, and the different shapes we can see due to the colours contrasting against each other. The gate in the foreground and the fencing in the background creates dark silhouettes against the vivid horizon which allows us to see the shape and lines very clearly. The gate also shows depth, as it gets smaller the further away from the camera it gets. 

Looking at Michael Bosanko's work, I feel influenced to experiment light painting myself. I find it very fascinating and appealing and would like to attempt to create something similar. Rather than capturing random movement of a light source, creating unusual shapes and forms which I have already achieved, I would like to attempt drawing real objects, characters or text the way Michael Bosanko does, as I think this is very original and unique. I want to try creating light paintings that interact with their surroundings and work together to create a scene, like Michael does. I would also like to try taking light painting images where the source of light, and the person who is conducting the light is not visible. Looking at images like this made me wonder how they were created and fascinated me, so this is the reaction I would like to create. 

After looking at more of Michael's work, I was surprised at the amount of variation in his photography. When I first discovered him, light painting photographs were the only thing I saw, as this is his speciality, however when exploring his website I realised that he also takes landscapes, street photography, and has a whole album just for photographs of vehicles. I realised that a lot of this photography showed depth very clearly, which is something I like about it. After discovering more of Michael Bosanko's work, I still find his photography very fascinating, unique and appealing. Although his light paintings are relatively similar, they all show a different scene and different characters and objects are created, including characters from iconic films like Star Wars and Harry Potter. The images that aren't light paintings still interest me as depth is shown very well, and I like Michael's use of colour and contrast to create a certain feel.