During my recent interest in fractal geometry, I came across these unique and fascinating artforms called Lichtenberg Figures (sometimes referred to as “Captured Lightning”). Named after Dr. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, who was the first to observe the phenomenon, modern-day figures are created by irradiating a clear acrylic block with high-energy electrons from a linear accelerator. The electrons become trapped inside the acrylic block and create a cloud of negative electrical charge inside. The acrylic is then discharged at a specific spot, and all that pent up energy breaks down within billionths of a second and exits the block, creating a fractal network of microscopic fractures. The result is a beautiful electrical fossil that looks incredible when illuminated from the exit point – almost like fiber optics.

I would love to be able to try my hand at making some of these. Unfortunately, I don’t happen to have access to a 4-story linear accelerator. But these guys do, and their work is a breathtaking combination of science and art.

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Goodbye, nateGdesign.com. Though I’ve known you intimately for 4 years now, I feel we’ve grown distant over the past…3.5 years. In the beginning, there was a passionate love affair but I quickly grew tired of your high-maintenance ways and your limited communication skills. Consequently, I have left you to rot in your small corner of the interwebs. We both got busy, and I found myself fascinated with newfangled ways of sharing my artwork and thoughts with people. I’m not bitter; You were a good learning experience. And I’ll probably keep your email for a while longer. But it has come time to put the nail in the coffin and move on with my life.

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We had a lot of fun on this recent photoshoot with Gracie and her family – she was such a joy to shoot! During the editing of this set, I got the chance to fine-tune a photoshop action I’ve been working on to apply to the final images to give them more of a cohesive, signature look. My goal is to build up a bank of these flexible, signature processing looks to make editing more streamlined and consistent. They don’t always work for every setting or lighting scenario, but they provide a good place to start for experimentation. Find the action that works the best, then tweak it until it matches your vision for a particular project.

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