From the ultra-real to the surreal, from stillness to movements, the camera, digital or otherwise, is used as an image capturing device for photography (phos, Gk, light; Graphis, Gk, stylus or paintbrush) since 1861. Indeed, it is known as a process, an activity and expression using light as a medium based on a selected subject.



While camera records, light is color, visible or invisible to the human eyes. It establishes a complex relationship with its surroundings bodies and surfaces. In response to this interesting notion and sensibility, light source influences the result of the captured visage qualitatively. Over the years, some photographers have spent hours setting up, or rather “incubating” light to compose and achieve a desired effects over a chosen subject. Nevertheless, the camera remains as an enhanced recording device, as man directs the beam in the precise way accord in inhibited spaces – a rigidity that confines human exuberance.



As light source contributes to a phenomenon causing dispersion, light as a medium is formidable, it allows us to experience the dissolution of light whereby it attests the original meaning of photography. Upon investigations of hundreds of camera movement-directed camera paintings, this paper presents and demonstrates the possibilities and results of this intrinsic characteristics and capabilities of light by combining the hyper relation of camera movements and the light source. In which, this relationship depicts and expresses the nature or disposition of the hand gesture that determines, designs, choreographs and orientates light, thus produces non-photorealistic renderings (NPR), as manifested in “non-light” painting mediums such as pencil, charcoal, pastel, crayon, watercolor and oil. Depending on the speed and momentum of the camera movements, different compositions and textures can be captured instantly as a result of a click. The sum of movements of this camera offers infinite generative in-camera paintings without any post-possessing. Based on this phenomenon, non-photorealistic renderings can be composed independent of the subject matter, the motion of the subject, the lighting conditions measured by distance between the camera person and the subject, cumulative luminosity of the various light source. Basically, creating a composition anytime, anywhere. It reinforces the notion of light is color. As such, this lighting performance ensues a new aesthetic experience being established with innovative potentials. The assembly of movements that transforms the spatial experience of light defines a new portrait and a new identity of light — a new semantic of light. The multiplicity of light is only a distance away from our thoughts, appropriating us in experiencing light in an unprecedented way.



Publlication: AIC 2011 Conference, University of Zürich, Zürich, 🇨🇭