charlie cho

Light & Night Painting

By Larry Brownstein

ALL PHOTOs COPYRIGHT CHARLIe CHO

No other realm in photography explores the study of light, time and space as night photography does.
This image was photographed in Ventura, CA. I was knee-deep in mud that whole night. It was more than worth it, says Cho.

Above: Cho shares, All the important spiritual symbols of man, the earth and universe can be represented by numbers. Mathematics is the true language of nature. I have always been drawn to geometry and numerology. This image, Trinity, represents the number 3; the union of body, soul and spirit. If you look closely, the number 11 is also secretly represented in this photograph.

After a rigorous photography education that prepared Charlie Cho for a career as a product photographer and an auspicious start with good clients, it was a photo of Pablo Picasso that unexpectedly inspired him to move in a new direction. Suddenly, Cho thought of himself as a fine art photographer, in an unusual niche at thatnighttime photography. While searching around on the Web, Cho came across the strange photo of Picasso. In the photo, the artist is crouched low and mischievously looks at the camera. He is partially obscured by a trace of light that he had painted in front of himself probably with a flashlightduring a long exposure. The light trace forms an image of a centaur, one of his favorite subjects. Photographer Gjon Mili took the photo of Picasso in a pottery studio with a flash and left the shutter open while Picasso drew the centaur with the flashlight in the dark room. Upon seeing the image, Cho felt struck by lightning, and a whole new creative direction emerged. Id seen lightRight: The number 11 has been linked to mystery since ancient times. In science, string theorists hypothesize that there are 11 dimensions. In systems such as astrology and numerology, 11 is considered a master number. One and one is the beginning of the Fibonacci curve, a universal pattern of nature found in everything from conches to galaxy spirals. If you multiply 1111 by 1111 you get 1234321, which mathematically represents a pyramid. It also represents a Star-Gate to the collective unconscious; this image is named for that notion.

painting before but something about that image got to me, Cho says. Chos foray into light-painting and night photography over the last three years has erupted into a mature body of work that incorporates locales around the Western states that lend themselves to the postapocalyptic mood he prefers. Moonlight usually bathes his eerie landscapes in a surreal mood that he then enhances by using a variety of light sources to paint in foreground elements or models. Either hell use any of his array of light sources to create a graphic elementa circle, spiral or sacred symbolor to paint in text, etc. No other realm in photography explores the study of light, time and space

as night photography does, explains Cho. Through night photography, I am able to capture a passage in time on one frame. In the darkness, the sensation of time begins to shift and extend. I am forced to slow down, to have a heightened sense of awareness and understanding of my surrounding environment. Minutes seem like hours. Hours seem like seconds. Time ceases to exist anymore. I become enveloped by the darkness. Many times I cannot see where I am going. Even sound becomes distorted and deceiving. I start to rely more on my intuition and imagination than my physical senses. The possibilities become endless. Chos dedication seems limitless. He drives around scouting during the day whether at home in Los Angeles or on the road in Utah or Arizona. He relies on a GPS unit to record the exact location of his chosen spot. He returns at night, preferably when there is a full moon, with photo and lighting equipment and will spend as much as five hours perfecting his exposure. Sometimes, he makes use of Google Earths aerial view to do scouting. Hell search for structures that offer what he is looking for and also visit potential locations. Cho is intrigued by how the night can transform a place. I photograph at night because I am fascinated by the unknown, he says. During the day, everything is visible out in the open. At night, everything is seemingly hidden and obscure. I am drawn to the mystery of what has yet to be explored. Many of the locations [where] I shoot may not be aesthetically pleasing during the daylight hours but, as darkness approaches, the energy begins to change. Something once mundane becomes

Above: Cho says of the image above, It took me three separate nights to get the shot I was looking for. The shot, Ancient Calling, was photographed on the full moon in Santa Barbara, CA.

unique. What was once dark comes into light. Cho continues, A magical transformation occurs as illumination begins. The beauty that existed behind closed veils has now become revealed. Chos interest in night photography goes beyond the excitement of capturing an interesting image; it is also an inner journey in which he discovers much about himself. The multitude of adventures I experience through my exploration as a night photographer are their own reward. The adrenaline rush I get from accessing forbidden and potentially hazardous places is what drives me to push myself to the limits. The ability to enter and leave a location in quietness becomes a challenge that I look forward to. I do not take a crew of people with me. The moments of solitude I experience while night-shooting are what I crave. It is in this deep solitude when my mind slows down. It is in this silent darkness when my eye can ultimately see and I can finally think. Cho continues, While most of the world is asleep, I am awake. I know that I am the only soul venturing out into the forest or a hidden tunnel. I am alone in the world and I like that feeling. The process that I go through to create every photograph has its own personal meaning. Each location

I visit, an intimate relationship is formed. Night photography for me is as much a journey of self-realization as it is a journey of self-expression. Exposure of such night scenes is more of an art than a science, as Cho relies on moonlight and assorted light sources that are moving around during long exposures. Meters are not very useful to him, given the traveling light sources, and in the case of the moon, the intensity is too low. Even with his extensive experience, the process still requires a measure of trial and error. Sometimes Cho shoots with film, which offers the advantage of allowing him longer exposures without concern for noise. However, usually, he relies upon a digital camera so that he can slowly converge upon the perfect exposure and lighting. Also, to maximize quality and minimize noise he keeps his ISO low. The trade-off he usually makes, therefore, is limited depth of field. With nighttime photography there is no room for error, Cho explains. I could shoot two rolls of film and not know what they look like and come back with nothing. But digital is really convenient. His equipment includes a Nikon D2X and, usually, a 1224mm wide-angle zoom. Cho is, understandably, a bit guarded when

it comes to the light sources he uses. He admits to using flashlights, fire and camera flashes but prefers not to reveal much else, except that he always experiments and tries new light sources and even builds his own. He emphasizes that he perfects the shot in-camera and never does any heavyhanded work in Photoshop. While scouting locations for a perfect shot, Cho has certainly had some interesting experiences in the wee hours of the night. He often photographs in downtown Los Angeles on streets populated with homeless people. He has been mistaken for the police because of his bright lights and often finds people scrambling to get away from him. People see me and they start running. I was shooting in Santa Barbara on a cliff. Below the cliff there was a bunch of people with bonfires, which isnt legal. I put on my lights and I saw a group of 15 people just running, he says with a laugh. Though he is often mistaken for the law, unfortunately for him, the police often mistake him for being some kind of a maniac. I have had many run-ins with the police, Cho says. They usually think Im spray-painting or robbing a home. Some of them look at me as if I were the craziest person alive. Most of the time, they search me and hassle me. After I explain to them that I am a night photographer, their interest is sparked and

Right: Illusion is an image that emerged from one of the most challenging photo shoots. Continues Cho, It took me four hours to get this shot. I never walked up and down so many stairs in my life.

a genuine curiosity comes forth, and they start asking me questions. Cho recalls a funny incident regarding the challenges of night photography. During a shoot in the forest, he had just finished walking around to light-paint a scene and couldnt find his way back to the camera. Says Cho, I knew I had the shot and didnt want to ruin the exposure by turning on the light to find my way back. After about 20 minutes of wandering around in the dark by myself and running into trees, I finally found my camera. Despite the problems, Chos excitement with night imagery is unabated. Another aspect of night imagery that Cho tries to incorporate into his photos

is nature. I have a deep connection with nature, he says. During my outings at night, I often encounter animals indirectly participating in my photographs. Ive ex-

perienced packs of coyotes howling during shoots, owls flying directly over my shots, a mountain lion following me out of curiosity. On one occasion, a family of rats was observing me working in a tunnel. I feel a harmonious interconnectedness and oneness with all of existence during these moments. Cho continues, The night es pecially brings about a completely different energy. By day we are spectators, but at night we become enveloped by our surroundings. All of our senses become heightened and the world becomes a very strange place. What looks normal during the day will look and feel completely different at night. One element that many of Chos images have in common is some sort of a graphic symbol such as a yin and yang, circle, spiral or an abstract curve made by the motion of a light source. In some images, he modifies the scene. For example, in several images he made concentric circles in the sand. In some images the light source itself becomes a graphic element through the use of a fixture of some sort. In later images Cho paints in a word such as truth or illusion. I am particularly impressed by one image taken by the wall of a dam in which he light-painted the Taoist symbol for harmony and balance, the yin yang. Amazingly his sense of space allowed him to light-paint the symbol so that it is easily recognizable and almost perfectly symmetrical. Ironically, some people are offended by the inclusion of a word such as love in his works. Cho thinks they mistakenly believe
Left: This photograph, Balance, is one of my personal favorites, says Cho.

Above: This image is named Ricochet. Of its capture, Cho says, When I came upon this location, I couldnt see what was in this room as everything was completely dark. I turned on my flashlight and couldnt believe my eyes. I will always regret not bringing a video camera to this location. It will never exist anymore. Below: Another Dimension is named for its other-realm quality.

flight. Cho shares, It brought the joy of photography back. It was the sense of discovery and the excitement of capturing things that the eye couldnt see. Cho has developed a client list that provides him a good foundation. His commercial jobs include jewelry, fashion, headshots and even documenting events at a winery. But it seems that his passion for now is developing as a fine art photographer. He is so committed to it, in fact, that he hasnt been getting much sleep these days! However, judging by his enthusiasm, energy and excitement about photography, it doesnt seem to be much of a problem for Cho: Shooting gives him an adrenaline rush. Having already hosted a solo show in Los Angeles, Cho offers more of his work at www.latentnight.com and www.charlie dcho.com.
Larry Brownstein is the photographer of the books Los Angeles, Where Anything is Possible and The Midnight Mission. He is represented by Getty Images, Alamy and other agencies. He has a growing wedding and portrait photography business. He also offers stock photography consulting and career coaching for emerging photographers. See his work at www. larrybrownstein.com or contact him at (310) 815-1402.

his work is trying to convey a religious statement. Cho acknowledges that while he is making statements in some of his imagese.g. about the illusory nature of realityhe has no intention of knocking any religion. Cho elaborates further on the symbolism he imbues in his photos. For example, in the image Walking out of Maya there is a reference to the Sanskrit word and Hindu philosophy that what most of us experience of the world is an illusion; we see only a veil under which the real world can be viewed. His image Divine Mersenne Prime explores the number seven, an example of a Mersenne prime number, which is both a prime number and one less than a power of two. It is a symbolic and divine number in many ancient cultures. The West also commonly refers to the number seven as being a lucky number, Cho explains. Cho is a graduate of the Brooks Institute of Photography, where he focused on product photography. He says he was an extremely technical photographer at school and didnt see himself as especially creative. He recalls certain assignments at Brooks that required him to do such things as produce a 3-to-1 highlight-to-shadow ratio on a racquetball. He thrived on the process of working alone in a studio, slowly and meticulously crafting beautiful light on a product. One class in particular he found fascinating involved high-speed photography. In one assignment they set up a gun and

a huge high-speed flash. He recalls that the images captured the bullet in flight, as expected, but also showed the compressed airwaves that were created by the bullets