Behind The Scenes With One of Light Painting’s Pioneers

German photographer Jan Leonardo Wöllert doesn’t just do “light painting,” for him light painting probably denotes nothing more than a photographical hobby that many people enjoy trying out on occasion. No, Wöllert specializes in “light art performance photography,” and this feature on Deutsche Welle TV illustrates the difference quite well.

Wöllert sets himself apart from the light-painting crowd in many ways: he often works with pyrotechnics in addition to LED’s, he does all of his light art by hand (training for the physical exertion this demands), he seeks out interesting and incredible locations, and he refuses to digitally refinish his work.

Because of these standards, and the amazing photos they’ve lead to, he’s been fortunate enough to work for companies like Nike and Diesel, and he’s even done some work for bands like The Strokes. So if you’ve ever been interested in doing long exposure, light painting photography as more than just a hobby, we highly recommend you watch closely — Wöllert is undoubtedly one of the best.

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