Thursday Salute to Originals: Icy Illumination
Working as custom designers and builders, we’re used to being up against challenging conditions on our projects. Hurdles such as a demanding schedule, a tricky surface, or a remote jobsite are common in our work, and half the fun is overcoming each one as we move from design through construction. But even after jumping through all those hoops (and sometimes nearly pulling out our hair!), the ultimate reward is when we can finally stand back and admire the backlit feature in all its glory; each project is truly a labor of love. So in drawing from our own experiences, we couldn’t help but empathize with what a feat two photographers managed to accomplish with a little ingenuity, patience, and an unwavering vision.
For an automobile advertisement image shoot, Russian photographers Dmitry Chistoprudov and Nikolay Rykov overcame extreme conditions to illuminate a frozen lake. Yes, you read that right. These two masterminds transformed a body of water into a glowing surface.
As you can imagine, this task didn’t come without its own unique set of challenges. For starters, the sheet of ice they indented to backlight was quite thick. In order to illuminate the fissures within the ice, Chistoprudov and Rykov had to partner with local fisherman to dig into the 1m (3.28 ft) thick ice surface. Once a hole was created, an underwater high output light source was carefully inserted beneath the ice and put into position.
But challenges didn’t end there. The fishermen digging the hole had worn spiked shoes and trod all over the surface. This left distracting pock marks across the ice. So the dedicated photography duo went to work using water and scrubbing down the surface to remove the blemishes, making it immaculate again. Chistoprudov and Rykov lamented that they spent hours beautifying the surface prior to capturing the image.
After all the hard work and unexpected hiccups, the creative team finally achieved what they set out to do. The result: a glowing plane of ice with an unexplainable energy. The final imagery portrays the ice as sleek, glassy, and powerful – fitting qualities to sell an automobile. And it was all done in a budget of only $140! (Though does anyone else think the setting is more fitting of something a little more luxurious than the fairly typical four door sedan pictured? We could easily envision this as the backdrop for a souped-up sports car or even as a high-end fashion runway!)
The illumination of cracks and fissures in a natural material, and the random issues Chistoprudov and Rykov had to resolve on the fly, really tugs on our heartstrings here. Their project reminds us of the unpredictable beauty in our onyx panels, those energetic natural characteristics that come to life when backlighting is introduced. And the amount of hard work, constant dedication, and improvisation they endured throughout the project reinforces our belief that all the unexpected challenges really are all worth it in the end. For harnessing the energy of nature, illuminating it in all its glory, and never wavering from their vision, we salute these warm-blooded photographers!
Image credits: The Creators Project