Nocturne Hospital Interview

Light painting photographer NOCTURNE is laid up in the hospital. No joke he is literally in the hospital for two weeks, you wanna find out why…. well your gonna have to buy the book! If you know anything about Nocturne you know he works like mad, so I figured while he was stuck laid up it would be a good time to catch up on everything he has going on.

LPP ∇ So Chris it seams like you have a lot going on I heard you have an album cover, sponsorships, a book deal and a documentary all coming together what’s going on…

NOCTURNE ∇ Yeah, my second album cover came out last week with a band called Autumn in Hiroshima, and I’m currently working on my third album cover with another band called Above The Underground. My first book cover is also coming out this month, I was contacted by an American publishing company asking to use one of my images for a poetry book by a poet called Saeed Jones.

I’ve recently landed sponsorship deals from Led Lenser, Rosco, The Glow Company, and a few independent clothing companies, and I’m in contact with others. Led Lenser supply me with as torches as I need to help my work along, I have been working closely with Rosco testing 1000’s of their gels to find the perfect light painting combination to release my first product “Noctography Lighting Gels” – a system that I have developed where all of your gels are on a labeled on a large swatch book and hung from a lanyard around your neck. The Glow Company is being fantastic also, giving me literally a lifetime supply of light painting tools to help me with my missions.

Everything all of the sponsors are doing for me is not all one-way, they have agreed to sponsor the movie also so I will talk about the products in the movie and on my website with click through links. I have agreed to help promote the products, and do products reviews on my youtube channel, also with Rosco and The Glow Company, there is going to be an advertising campaign where they use my images and have the corresponding lighting information alongside, so what gels or lights were used to create the image.

I’m releasing a Noctography clothing line, starting off with some Noctography T-shirts, a very popular design on very high quality t-shirts using top of the range dye sublimation process which means the quality of the T-shirt will never crack, fade or deteriorate.

I’ve nearly finished writing my first book, and I’m currently in the pre production stages to a Noctography documentary which will hopefully be aired on TV, and there is nothing concrete yet but I have a small segment about light painting on a popular TV show in Feb. it’s all happening at once I can hardly keep up with demand, i’ve also been in contact with a lot of magazines, The UK Honda magazine approached me because they were impressed with my car photography at night, asking me if I wanted to be their official photographer as well as a few talks with photography magazines.

I’m also being booked for lectures and workshops, which are a great source of respect from fellow photographers; they really look up to you for knowledge and inspiration. My first lecture was fantastic, I was a bit nervous but it came together, I was honored that it said in the brochure “One of the worlds best light painters is here to tell you everything you need to know” that was just great.

I really can’t believe how well it is all going; I’m starting to see my dream come true before my very eyes. The next step is getting Noctography into the dictionary.

All of this could of course not be possible without the support of my wife and son, and my friends and all the light painters who inspire me.

I think that’s it.

LPP ∇ Holy sh@! That’s a lot going on. Are you scared?

NOCTURNE ∇ Very, it’s all very overwhelming. I thought it was going on before, with Luminary and LPP and generally being credited as one of the best light painters in the world, I personally don’t see it myself but everyone appears to be saying it, and I how easily I’ve landed all of these sponsorships and everything, I’m almost starting to believe it.

LPP ∇ You have some awesome images that’s for sure… I heard you also dropped out of the university did you do that because all this stuff was happening or because you needed the time to make all this stuff happen?

NOCTURNE ∇ It was actually a huge coincidence, I was having money troubles and it wasn’t looking good at all so I made the decision to not return to university. It just so happened it was the best thing that ever happened to me, I had booked a big trip to go and photograph some abandoned planes down the other end of the country and it was all booked and paid for, as grim as everything was my wife insisted I go and try and have a good time, when I arrived there she rang me and told me she had managed to sort out the money. Then when I came back, everything just fell in to place. Seen as I was no longer at university I thought I best do something useful and get motivated, there is no way I would be where I am now If I would have gone back to university.

LPP ∇ So weird how things work out the way they are supposed to. Life seams to be about making the right decision at the most difficult times, make the right one and you win make the wrong one and you lose…. Looks like you made the right one. Its awesome that your wife is so supportive of what your doing too has she always been like that?

NOCTURNE ∇ Yeah definitely, everyone has always supported me which is great, Light Painter isn’t the most prosperous career choice but my Mum and Dad supported me, they didn’t try and force me in to a career I didn’t want to be in, and my wife does the same, she is very proud of me and really happy that I am doing some that that I love for no money than doing something I hate for loads of money, because at the end of the day money doesn’t make you happy.

All of these questions will be better answered in more depth in the book I mean, no one really knows anything about me or who I am, so that’s sort of what its about.

LPP ∇ Lets talk about that, tell me about this book deal. Is it a book about you and your images or are you contributing to a bigger project with other artist?

NOCTURNE ∇ It’s just about me and my images really, even my friends who I go out shooting with don’t know a lot about me. So it’s about time it came out. We all have different motivations for light painting, for some it’s just a bit of fun, others a hobby, an art form. My reasons for light painting go very deep and really track down my roots, for the first time I talk properly about how light painting nearly killed me. For anyone who likes my work I think it’s a good read to know where it all started and where it’s going. Quite a compelling story all in all. I mean I was totally motivated by the Denis Smith story, I mean who wasn’t right! It sort of egged me on to do this so thanks Denis. I feel when you know someone’s background of why and how they got in to light painting you see their work in a different light. I love Troy Paiva’s book, they are a great read with some fantastic images. They go right back and talk about how he got in to night photography and what it means to him, even a few stories in there as well.

LPP ∇ That story of how light painting almost killed you is the heaviest light painting story I have ever heard. I don’t want to spoil it and tell the readers of this interview but that near death story alone is a reason to buy the book.

Out of everything you have going on is the book the thing you are the most excited about?

NOCTURNE ∇ There will be a few other close call stories in the book where I could have landed in prison but you’ll have to buy it to find out. I wouldn’t say the most excited about the book, I think it’s the thing that is having most productivity right now, the movie is still in pre-production so not a lot is happening with it at the moment, I’m currently interview voice artists for a narrator and finding musicians to record the sound track. So much work before we even start filming.

I am actually really excited about the Noctography gel system and the T-shirts as well. I’ve already taken orders for everything I’m doing at the moment. The fact people want to buy a product with my name on it is great, I’ve already sold my first batch of T-shirts and they haven’t even arrived yet. The gels will be in the same boat. I’m literally equally excited about everything, just whatever comes next in the chain of events gets my full attention until it’s done.

LPP ∇ Well congratulations on your well deserved success. You are hands down one of the hardest working light painters out there, your images are beautiful and inspiring to many people. Before we go tell me what companies are supporting your light painting right now?

NOCTURNE ∇ Led Lenser, they really are the best torches in the world. www.ledlenser.com

Rosco, again I haven’t used gels like them before, durable and heat resistant, can’t ask for more than that. www.rosco.com

The Glow Company, Glow have been amazing to me, they have catered to my every needs. They make everything that Glows! They make stuff I didn’t even know existed! www.glow.co.uk

And then there are a few local clothing companies that are supporting my game, as well just by giving me free clothes, it is win win for everyone.

Deck Clothing – www.deckclothing.co.uk

Self-Made Clothing – www.weareselfmade.bigcartel.com

Again these guys have been great, I’m hoping to get a design with them one day. I’m also in contact with a few catalogs about distributing my T-shirts also.

Everyone has been fantastic.

LPP ∇ Awesome. If you start to believe what people are saying about you being one of the best in the world just smack yourself hard in the face a few times and you’ll come back down…Seriously you have worked really hard to get to where you are and deserve your success. A lot of people think it will just come to them, there are very few like you who go out and get it. Good work NOCTURNE. Now get your ass out of the hospital and get to work…. I wish you a speedy recovery.

NOCTURNE ∇ Hahaha Cheers, it’s always nice to be appreciated.

If you read all the way to here you should take part in this challenge….It would be awesome to see some “Get Well Soon NOCTURNE” light paintings posted up send them to contest@lightpaintingphotography.com Maybe if you do a super awesome one Nocturne will send you a little prize pack with his new Noctography Light Painting Gel system and a T-Shirt…..huuuummmmm.

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