Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme . . .

One of the most graceful, fluid examples of time/motion study I've seen in a long while can be viewed at Jeff Hillhouse's photography site. This particlular image really struck me - no title (at least it's not noted on his site), no indicator of how it was accomplished either - just light, color, cloud movement, and time. And, just look at the scale of that landscape!

BONUS POINTS - if you can figure out how this image was accomplished BEFORE you click over to Jeff's Web site. BTW, Jeff's site (as well as the work by 100+ other NPrs) is now linked, pretty handily, on The Nocturnes site - at O. Winston Links!

(from The Nocturnes Network Detective)

Waiting for Bono

Continuing with the 'eyebrow thing'- this clever little piece (available thru the efforts of eyebrowy.com!) features St. Glen Hansard and an amazing sound-likeness of Bono. Hansard, of course is one of the stars (along with Markéta Irglová - all of a worldly 17 at the time the film was made) of the runaway indie hit/music film "Once." Just released as a DVD right before Christmas - if you haven't already done so, see this movie!



(“Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it’s awful.”)

Light Painting the mainstream?

Page One:
An AP Photo of "light painting," celebrating the New Year, over the wire, syndicated in newpapers 'round the globe - see it here!

Page Two:
Throughout 2007, Sprint/Nextel unveiled a number of one-minute long commercial spots, using stop-motion photography with digital cameras, a small creative bunch of artists who COULD draw a [necessarily] not-so-straight line, and the time honored technique of "light painting" during the exposure(s). A little different than the approach we Nocturnes use in our NPy (mostly lengthy exposures), but the principle is the same, and the cumulative aspect of "gathering light over time" rings true.



The performance aspect that comes across in these pieces (which I've always felt was an important part of the attraction of/to NPY) is there, as well - one of the producers/participants in the production of the spots even equated the process to a dance. That about sums it up for me - process and performance art - and these commercials, while hawking cellphones, document the craft and art of this thing we do and are some of the greatest promotional pieces for the study of NPY that I've seen in a bit.

This embedded clip was the spot that I first happened onto (and it hit me!). View the 'behind-the-scenes'commmentary about the production here. Favorite quote from the commentary: "Here, it's not about the perfection, it's about the imperfect on that happens." And, see more spots from the series here, here, and here.

(Ever the evangelista . . . )

Random Conciliatory Notes / Hot Shots

- The Nocturnes has struck a deal with the Writers Guild of America, so befitting a "Wide World of Pants," we're back in the Nocturnal Entertainment business this new year!

- One of our goals for 2008 was to be more faithful in posting to this here Blog - we would like to have a post up everday (holidays excepted, or not) or maybe every-other day. Well, we'll just have to see . . .

- I am also contemplating participating in AIDS/LifeCycle , the long bike ride to Los Angeles (from San Francisco) that happens in June. So the new year (at least half of it) might be a balancing act between blogging and biking. More about all this later.

- Our first featured NPr of the New Year is none other than the father of modern industrial and locomotive Night Photography - O. Winston Link! See his famed "Iaeger Drive-In" image on the New York Times site.

- BTW, did you know that the comprehensive links page on The Nocturnes site is entitled "O. Winston Links" in the man's honor?

(Yeah, and if you buy that first point . . .)