Light Graffiti: Cool Camera Trick Makes Cool Cars Look More Cool

Light graffiti is the art of combining long-exposure photographs with high-intensity light sources waved around in thin air to create an image when the shutter closes. Very cool. Even cooler when you're drawing some seriously spectacular cars.

We'll admit to a perverse lust for the Morgan Aero 8 so any time we get to run pics of that car for any reason is a plus, however, the other cars on created in this set aren't too shabby either. They're the handiwork of Mark Brown and Marc Cameron at Se7en Magazine, and we think they did a great job creating some of the most iconic cars on the road these days. Surprising they didn't make a Se7en.

Light Graffiti Cars

When the worlds of art and cars come together, they can generate some truly beautiful output - evident in the BMW Art Cars created by the likes of Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, and Olafur Eliasson. Now the work of light graffiti photographer Mark Brown is set to reinforce this ideology, by demonstrating just how amazing iconic cars can look when recreated using in light graffiti.

The brainchild of project manager Marc Cameron (owner of Se7enmagazine.com) and brought to reality by Brown, Light Graffiti Cars is a series of images of iconic cars created using light graffiti.

The popularity of light graffiti has been on the rise over the past couple of years, with the groundbreaking work of the brilliant Michael Bosanko, Patrick Rochon, and Lichtfaktor bringing to light this truly wonderful and magical art form. Even the X Factor is now trying to get in on the act with the light dancing ads shown just before and after the commercial breaks.

"Mark and I both studied photography at the same university, and we were introduced by our former lecturer," says Marc Cameron.

"I instantly found Mark's images of light graffiti - shot against rural backgrounds - truly breathtaking, and it left me thinking about the range of possibilities for this emerging art form. As a massive fan of cars, I came up with the idea of capturing iconic motors in light graffiti, and Mark's images are the manifestation of this concept."

"Using an original technique of light painting I aimed to create simplified graphic versions of each of these classic shapes. The timeless, current and forward thinking design of each model has made creating these representations a massively inspiring experience," says Mark Brown.

"Choosing cars with eye-catching style and innovative design, I was able to construct images that capture the clean lines in each concept. The Iconic design of such models as the classic VW camper Van and Beetle to the equally iconic, but more modern styling of the Audi R8, the Morgan Aero and many more are works of art in their own right so lend themselves very well to this type of imagery. Every design that I have chosen, in my eyes, lives to be viewed."

We're hoping to raise interest in the possibility of featuring these images in either a leading photography show or a calendar.

For further information about Mark Brown's work visit: www.markbrownphotography.co.uk/

[Se7en Magazine]

Send an email to Ben, the author of this post, at ben@jalopnik.com.