Creative Light Painting with Fractal Filters

By Dan on June 22, 2018 4:14 PM

Fractal Filters photography prisms - yes, you want them.

Every picture in this post was created in the camera in single exposure. I was used to shooting long exposure light paintings but then this new tool came around. As a student of optics, these pieces of photography glass changed how I shoot. I don't use them on everything I do, but when I use them things sure do get exciting!

Lit by Diliz, kinetic prism by me. Model: Reagan Roberts

I saw a shot Eric Pare did with Kim Henry where he used his iridescent vinyl tool, but it had this funky element of ordered chaos to it! I hounded him a bit for informaiton and then he told me where he'd gotten it from.

Fractal Filters is a project by Nikk Wong and it had a successful Kickstarter campaign. When I first tried to get my hands on them they were between shipments but I was still able to talk Nikk into sending me a piece that hadn't pass quality control standards. It didn't have a handle, but it was my new favorite toy.

What do they do?

Cameras capture the light that reflects off objects that then enters the lens. Usually this light takes a pretty direct path. These glass filters are cut at very specific angles to make the light take a different path when you place the filters in front of your lens. The same part of what you're shooting might now take ten different paths of getting to your camera, and you can create some mind-blowing and ethereal images. No Photoshop trickery here, this is all optical and all exactly as your camera captures the image!

Shooting with an Amazing Tool

After a while I got my hands on a full set and the bulk of my work used the round and beveled one. Another one found a place when shooting live events. I'm stoked for the next set to come out, super curious about what new types of optic bending options I'm going to have!

Scroll down to see more images I've created using a combination of light painting and Fractal Filter prisms!