Dancing Light Paintings Contour Nature With Fiery Streaks of Illumination

Vitor Schietti Impermanent Sculptures Light Painting Photography

Light is beautiful yet ephemeral. And photography, at its core, is about light; the practice takes its name from the Greek words phos meaning “light,” and graphê, meaning “drawing.” Brazilian photographer Vitor Schietti has fully embraced the nature of light in his work. In 2015, he began a series entitled Impermanent Sculptures that incorporates a technique known as light painting to surround trees and other natural objects with fiery streaks of illumination. These glowing landscapes evoke the magic of fairy trails, but they are the result of a delicate photographic process.

To create his light paintings, Schietti must perfectly time his exposures. After choosing a location, the photographer uses fireworks to produce streaks of light that are captured with a slow shutter speed. Sometimes a single shot is all he needs to cover a tree in energetic illumination. However, he also composites images together using Photoshop for maximum effect. According to Schietti, capturing an image is a precise dance of timing. “I use a neutral density filter to find the perfect balance between the brightness of the sparkles and the natural light by twilight, so it's a fine and limited balance, only a few minutes each day.”

Schietti finds his inspiration among the tree-lined streets of his hometown of Brasília as well as in more remote landscapes. The natural background is a perfect canvas for the photographer's abstract creations. “The light becomes a brush, the space around me is the canvas,” he says of Impermanent Sculptures, “the paper on which I write questions, sketch answers, rehearse thoughts, reveal or hide mysteries.”

Schietti tells My Modern Met that for him, both his city and his pictures represent “integration with nature, rather than exploitation and distance from it.” He connects this work to his experience as a vegan activist. “I see this work as part of my journey towards bringing the attention of people to our relationship with life, not only our individual lives but to life itself, as an entity. As such, we need to start recognizing the other kinds of life we share the planet with…”

Scroll down to see more of Vitor Schietti's beautiful Impermanent Sculptures series. For more of his photographic works, check out his website.

Brazilian photographer Vitor Schietti uses fireworks to paint with light in his stunning series Impermanent Sculptures.

Vitor Schietti Light Painting Nature Photography

 

Set in natural areas in and around his hometown of Brasília, the images are perfectly timed long-exposures taken at twilight.

Light Painting Nature Photography

Vitor Schietti Light Painting Nature Photography

Vitor Schietti Light Painting Nature Photography

Light Painting Nature Photography

Vitor Schietti Impermanent Sculptures Light Painting Photography

Schietti hopes his work will encourage connection between humans and the natural world.

Vitor Schietti Impermanent Sculptures Light Painting Photography

Vitor Schietti Impermanent Sculptures Light Painting Photography

Vitor Schietti Impermanent Sculptures Light Painting Photography

Vitor Schietti Impermanent Sculptures Light Painting Photography

Vitor Schietti Impermanent Sculptures Light Painting Photography

Vitor Schietti: Website | Instagram | Twitter

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Vitor Schietti.

Related Articles:

Photographer Travels Asia Capturing the Beautiful Patterns Emerging in Everyday Life

Stunning Winning Images of the 2020 Mobile Photography Awards Announced

Photographer’s Drone Melts Capturing an Incredible Aerial Shot of a Volcanic Eruption

Explore the Stunning Winning Images of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards

Madeleine Muzdakis

Madeleine Muzdakis is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and a historian of early modern Britain & the Atlantic world. She holds a BA in History and Mathematics from Brown University and an MA in European & Russian Studies from Yale University. Madeleine has worked in archives and museums for years with a particular focus on photography and arts education. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys hiking, film photography, and studying law while cuddling with her cat Georgia.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.

Sponsored Content