Film Photos Captured with 5 Seconds of Sound Before and After

Photographer Mario Cipriano has started a new project titled “Light Sounds Light” using a technique he calls audiophotography. Cipriano is using a digital audio recorder to capture the sound context behind each of his film photos, resulting in a fascinating way of experiencing the photographer’s work.

Cipriano mounted a Rode VideoMicro microphone and a Sony digital recorder to his Leica M6 camera (with 35mm f/2 and 50mm f/2 Zeiss lenses and Ilford HP5 400 film inside).

Audiophotography (AFG) setup

Prior to capturing any shot, Cipriano activates the audio recorder to record 5 seconds of audio. He then leaves the recorder on for 5 seconds after the shot.

In his first 1.5-minute video above, Cipriano lets the audio play with a black screen first, building up to the actual photo. We then hear more of the audio context as we view the photo.

“The possible outcomes are three,” Cipriano writes. “1. The sound prepares your mind to a determinate image and then that exact image comes out. 2. The sound prepares your mind to a determinate image and then an out-of-context image appears. 3. The sound is so ambiguous that your mind is totally free to imagine and can’t wait to discover what the image will be.”

You can follow along with this project on Cipriano’s Instagram and Vimeo.

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