Featured Artist Christopher Kennedy

British artist Christopher Kennedy uses a technique he formulated called Photo Luminism to capture within his images the light we cannot see. Visit his website to see more.

 

 

I’m a British fine art photographer based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. My earlier career was with composers creating the musical scores for feature films. Some years ago, I decided to reinvent myself by switching back to my lifelong love of photography with the aim of doing something that would give me more satisfaction. The entire process has been, and continues to be, an incredibly rewarding challenge.

 

 

After a lifetime of capturing representational images, I woke up one day desperate to see what else could be achieved with my digital camera. I felt a need to create something that would not only stretch my abilities as a photographer, but also that of the art. A lofty goal, I know. Delving deeply into my formative years I found several interests that had been key players in developing my sense of creativity—vibrant color, light and music. Realizing these were also the key elements of my film industry career, I added movement into the mix.

 

 

After a period of intense experimentation, I formulated a technique for a unique style of photographic art I have coined Photo Luminism® — a method for capturing light the human eye cannot perceive through the manipulation of the camera and lens in a long single exposure. Picasso and Man Ray were known for their early light painting experiments. Photo Luminism is the exact opposite of that technique, but gives the artist more control over the final result and, of course, the essential advantage of being able to see that result right away.

 

 

Following my discovery, the creative spark blazed into a newfound passion. There was barely a night I wasn’t outside photographing “lightscapes” I had crafted the day before. Freezing temperatures never prevailed and the early winter nights were my friend, whilst ice and snow all enhanced the creative process.

Since then, I have broadened the technique and improved upon the art. Having experimented abundantly with artificial light sources, I have now expanded the Photo Luminism technique to using day light sources with nature’s own colors.

 

 

Passing Impressions is a natural light series which is all about fleeting memories.

 

 

With Trees Revered, I superimpose representational objects on natural light Photo Luminism backgrounds.

 

 

In the Surrealism series, I mix electric light Photo Luminism “characters” with humans and real landscapes.

 

 

Inherited/Re-Imagined. In this series I add my own touches to some stunning but badly deteriorated black and white negatives I inherited of a model from the 60’s, giving them new life.

 

 

Early on, I made a choice to print my abstract pieces onto brushed aluminum using the dye sublimation method. It’s a medium that accentuates my use of light and color by reflecting ambient light back through the inks and giving the images additional depth and luminosity. The more recent images that include representational subjects look outstanding on either white aluminum or hot press archival paper. Both have their advantages.

Much of my oversize abstract work finds its way into exclusive hotels and restaurants. However I’m also honored to have a roster of private collectors.

 

 

When I first began this Photo Luminism approach, I was often asked whether I considered it photography or art. Some people actually mistook my images for paintings. There’s much discussion in forums about the difference between the terms photographer and photographic artist. Personally, I think of myself as a photographer with an artistic bent. But there’s no doubt what I’m doing now is considerably more artistic than when I first started playing with photography as a ten year old. I’m hoping it’s a tad more enjoyable too.

 

Artist Christopher Kennedy invites you to follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

 

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