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Q. Didn't Edweard Muybridge or Etienne-Jules Marey or Harold Edgerton do stuff like this?
A. Yes, sort of. They did amazing pioneering work in motion studies and chronophotography. However, while some of their results are truly beautiful, they were mostly done to analyze motion or study some phenomenon. I borrowed and adapted some of their techniques to do art photography and also came up with some techniques of my own.
An example of Edgerton chronophotography.
Q. Did you make these images in Photoshop?
A. No, all of the images represent a single exposure in the camera. I was inspired by photos like the one above and so they are actually sequences of images captured with strobe lights and a special moving camera mount that I created. While you could do something similar in Photoshop, the whole process, which is partly controlled and partly serendipitous, is very important to me. I also created the special strobe lights for this technique using high powered LEDs.
Up to about the middle of 2008, all the images were created on film. Since then, I have been using digital cameras.
Q. Is it the model or the camera that's moving?
A. Yes. While I started by reproducing some effects like Edgerton, I soon realized I could make interesting patterns in other ways as well. In addition to the model moving, I could move the camera. At first I moved it freehand, or on a tripod, but soon I started creating moving camera mounts for this purpose. The latest, pictured below, features two stepper motors (for two axes of motion) and a controller that synchronizes the motion with the strobe lights. Everything is a prototype, I seldom do two shoots with exactly the same set up, so every shoot is an adventure.
Two stepper motors precisely control the camera movement during a long exposure.
The controller, which controls the motors and two channels of strobe lights. The box is left over from a previous project, so most of the buttons don't do anything.
Inside the controller. Power supplies, stepper drivers, PIC microcontrollers, an Arduino microcontroller, solid state relays and lots of messy wiring. Different programs in the Arduino decide what the whole thing is going to do.
Q. Do you sell and/or show these?
A. Yes. They look much better as actual photographic prints. I do shows around the Bay Area and beyond. I'm always looking for interesting places to display my work, both galleries and non-traditional venues as well. If you are interested in showing my work, send me an E-mail.
Purchasing my work is easy at this website: http://www.mesart.com/pjreptilehouse
Q. Reptilehouse? Are you into snakes or something?
A. No, I have no particular affinity for reptiles. It is just a silly name I use as a pseudonym. It's a long story. I live and work in the San Francisco Bay area of California. I grew up in Canada and came to California to get an MFA in Electronic Music. For over 10 years, I have worked at the Exploratorium, San Francisco's wonderful hands-on museum of art, science and human perception.
All images are copyrighted. Please do not use without my permission.