The fathers of Light Art Performance Photography JanLeonardo Woellert and Joerg Miedza, a.k.a. LAPP-PRO, have written a book about light painting. I got the opportunity to ask LAPP-PRO some questions about what we can expect to find under the cover and about their experience writing the book. Check out the interview below.

LPP ∇ 1st Congratulations of finishing the book, what an exciting time! You guys have inspired so many artists with your incredible work, what inspired you to put out a Light Art Performance Photography book?

LAPP-PRO ∇ Thank you very much. 1st, all you guys have created a lot of very good light art performance pictures and you all have shown the whole new light art world how LAPP can appear. All we together made LAPP to what it is today, a new category in light art.

Ok, someone has to invent the “guitar”. That was the job, done by LAPP-PRO.de. But now, we all can play on that amazing new instrument. Everyone shall start to make music. One day, there will be music all around the world.

We are very proud to be the one to infect you with the light art performance photography virus. From the first day of our light art life, we liked to be the spark who start a fire in others heads. This is exactly what we love to do.

The book was a perfect product for us to present a gallery abroad from computer based websites or presentations. Something to touch and to linger for a longer time.

LPP ∇ Can you tell me a little bit about what is in the book?

LAPP-PRO ∇ Our expectation to the book and our first idea for the book was to have a fine art gallery in panorama format on printed paper. Connected to our personally story and what our way into LAPP was. In an early phase, our publisher ask us to add a complex “Making-Of” with all the details. Together we have considered this and made the decision to present a huge gallery with our story and only to show some LAPP basics, not a complete cookbook. We did not regret this. And the feedback from the readers are very positive. All the details and all the informations are way to big to mix this with the Gallery-Idea in one book. Maybe later, in one of our next books, we present you something like a cookbook.
But I am confident, that most of you guys, do not really need such a cookbook. All the creative heads in the whole new light art world, discover day by day and night by night how all the lightart ideas flow into your head, as soon as they started to go out for making LAPP at night. Enjoy it, those nights are the birthplace of your own style, your own piece of your light art future.

LPP ∇ What can the reader expect to get out of reading your book?

LAPP-PRO ∇ The reader can look onto a huge gallery of our artwork until the beginning. More than 220 Pages! Also, they can read our complete story and what LAPP means to us. We present 10 of our best photos with a lot of additional information and how the idea for these picture were created. In the book is also a short chapter to show you some of the real basics in making photos by night and create a light art performance photography.

LPP ∇ Who is the book written for? Is it for artist and art lovers or is it more technical and geared toward photographers?

LAPP-PRO ∇ I would like to say, that this book is a little bit more intensive for all the artists and art lovers than for the technicians or photographers among yourselves. This book shows you what you are able to create in your own head, if you get involved either with both sides of your camera. The only limit is your own creativity – Let it out! It is for all the people who like to be more active in making photos. Not only to stay behind the camera.

LPP ∇ I read online that in the end of the book there is a workshop section, is the book instructional?

LAPP-PRO ∇ It is not a cookbook but we think it is a good basic instruction with all what matters for making photos by night and especially making your first LAPP-Pictures.

LPP ∇ What is your favorite image in the book?

LAPP-PRO ∇ We have no single picture selected. It is very complex and we have found out, that most of the pictures, and the attention to it is connected to an emotional phase in your life or even a single day. You can compare it like listening music. Some people select sad songs if they are feeling sad and, some select the happy-song if they are feeling sad. Generally, we love the pictures which were make at special places. There you can feel the magic from the location with all the other impressions at night, the sounds and the light art at night. You can see in our “Background-Story”-section some special pieces from this kind. Lumen Attacks was one of the locations were you can feel all the history in it. Also 1.2.3.Freddy, which is our first picture what was created as a team-picture, is special. We are very connected to these pictures, but all the other pictures have their own special story.

LPP ∇ What would you say is the most important part about shooting a light art performance photograph?

LAPP-PRO ∇ Real LAPP will never be a snapshot and you gotta like the trial and error system. As time drew on, all your trials and errors will show you the way into your own light.

LPP ∇ Do you guys ever shoot images on your own or are all of your images shot together?

LAPP-PRO ∇ Yes we did a lot of picture on our own. Especially the early experiments. Single elements for a later picture/for the final shoot. You have to train a lot of movements and testing light tools before they can be used at final shoots. A lot of those pictures are created immediately as they arrived in your head. Therefore, you make those pictures on your own for discussing this later in the team. In the beginning days at summer 2007, Jan made a lot of pictures alone before we started together in autum 2007. You can make a lot of things on your own. But later, when you start to manage more complex performances, the result is better in a team. There are two or more creative heads with four or more hands. Even if the performances become more complexness you can see how good a team can manage all the performance steps into the picture. Jan and I have overcome LAPP-Pictures with more than 30 single steps into one picture. And besides, it’s just nice to not be alone into the dark night.

LPP ∇ What was your favorite part about writing the book?

LAPP-PRO ∇ For both of us it was to gain the reader an insight about the fascination and passion what it may mean with light and photography for the adolescent light artist

LPP ∇ What was the worst part about writing the book?

LAPP-PRO ∇ Honestly, there was no worst part in create the first book and we can´t wait to do this again…

LPP ∇ What is next for LAPP-PRO?

LAPP-PRO ∇ nto the second half of 2011, we begin to present the light art interested people some light art performance workshops. We starting in Germany and maybe one day we come all around the world. At the moment, we build a new concept in close collaboration with our supporters from LED-LENSER-Germany, LEATHERMAN-USA, CANON-Europe and ZEISS-Germany. Maybe one day, we go out together somewhere else on our new light art planet for creating light art together.

LPP ∇ Thank you very much for you time, I wish you many sales…

CLICK THE LINK TO GET YOUR COPY! Painting With Light: Light Art Performance Photography