Julian Köpke

I have set up a studio of black surfaces where the light falls on my objects from above. All distractions that could interfere with the view disappear as if by magic. There is only the object.

Every ray of light that does not fall directly into the eye remains invisible. Concentrated light such as laser beams is made visible by introducing vapour from CO2 into the beam path, for example, which provides the necessary deflection into the eye or a photographic lens.

For the same reason, light from above escapes the eye of the observer or the photographic lens when viewed horizontally. Only an object deflects the light from above in the direction of the eye or the photographic lens. This is essentially a reflection. Transmission of reflected light can also occur with objects that are transparent. This is the case, for example, with fine petals or glass. Both phenomena, reflection and transmission, are of great aesthetic appeal and therefore of photographic interest.

In the end, there is only the object – or composition. Photographing colored flowers in a dark room has the effect of an apparition emerging from the darkness. And the picture immediately makes you think. These pictures made me think of a quote by Henri Poincaré, whose exact source („The value of science“?) I have unfortunately not found: „A thought is like a flash of lightning in the middle of a long night, but it is everything“.

I immediately thought this ripe strawberry with its intense colour, which looks like a hand or a baby’s foot, was suitable for being photographed against a dark background. All other tasks were quickly cancelled.

With my IQ4 back on the Phase One, the size of the image exceeds the size of the fruit, so the image fits the definition of a macro. It quickly became clear that by adding small details, the message of the image could be influenced.

At first I thought of a first date for which someone would like to present a bouquet of flowers and scoured our garden for small blossoms. I found the smallest specimens with the light blue forget-me-nots right outside the front door.

Flowers in the studio remain living creatures that constantly reorient themselves in the changing light. The following picture is taken at ISO 800 in 30 seconds. The attempt to photograph at ISO 50 with 8 minutes failed due to the movement of a part of the forget-me-not.

To express creativity through a hand, the idea of a painter with brushes in his hand seemed suitable to me. The brushes had to be small, of course. Very small. Fortunately, I found two suitable ones in my wife’s make-up utensils. The metallic finish of the brush hairs created a reflection of the red strawberry in the handle of the brushes.

It takes a lot of luck to find a four-leaf clover. They are very popular as a sign of good luck. My wife is a master at finding them. So much luck makes the hand invisible.

In any case, anyone who encounters a real dinosaur needs luck. But the dinosaur is much bigger than the sensor, so it’s no longer a macro shot.

For me, pareidolia is a source of inspiration or creativity when an image won’t let go of me and I keep searching for an answer or an understanding. With these sweet strawberries, there was a physical pleasure at the end.

Flash

Strawberry pareidolia