lightxposed

Smooth.

2008-12-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

Resolution: 3264 x 2176 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Shedding Light

2008-09-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 3264 x 2176 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Camera Toss Gone Retro

2008-08-11T12:58:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 3264 x 2176 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Camera Toss Shared Source Project

2008-08-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

There's a new project in the camera tossing community that's getting everyone in the fun of this exciting method of photography. The moderators over at the Camera Toss Flickr group have created a multi-photographer collaboration that involves just one simple source image. With different cameras, photographers, and monitors used, it's exciting to see the results people get when camera tossing in front of the same source image. This project is also headed by Jens Ludwig, one of the more prominent camera tossers out there. Come join the fun - the details are right here in the Camera Toss group discussions.

In the meantime, here are some more of my own camera tosses derived from this project...

These photos were created as part of a multi-photographer Camera Toss Group collaboration. The pattern primitive image used with permission and under the terms of the Creative Commons; Attribution, Non-Commercial, Share-Alike 2.0 license. See Shared Source Collaboration #1 and results. See also all results of such themes.

Camera Tossing Project?

2008-08-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Something is brewing up in the camera tossing community....

More information to follow soon.

Untitled Stripes.

2008-07-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 3264 x 2176 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Revitalize!

2008-07-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 3264 x 2176 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Camera Toss in the Theatre.

2008-07-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2816 x 1872 | Subject: Stage Lights

Fajitas at the Rio Grande.

2008-07-23T19:22:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2560 x 1920 | Subject: Neon Banner

Pink.n.White.

2008-02-17T13:51:00.000-08:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Camera Phone Toss

2008-02-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

Resolution: 1600 x 1200 | Subject: Neon Lights

Light Membranes

2008-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a continuation of "The Evolution" camera toss set. These were also taken at Willies, but feature a more membranous look. They were also the same exact sets of lights, but just taken at different angles and distances, and thereby creating a completely different look.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Neon lights

The Evolution

2008-02-03T20:00:00.000-08:00

Today, I present to you a recent camera toss set taken at a local restaurant called Willies. Their restaurants are adorned by their signature blue, red, and yellow neon lights which are reflected in my camera tosses below.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Neon lights

Moss. Algae. Fungi.

2007-11-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Here are three mismatched but related camera toss sets entitled Moss, Algae, and Fungi, primarily for their green hues and natural shapes.

Subject: LCD Monitor | Resolution: 2816 x 1872

Ripples

2007-11-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

This was taken in the early evening when the sun was about to go down. I opened up my window blinds a little bit and allowed the light to enter causing the uniform "ripples" you see in the photo.

Subject: Window blinds | Resolution: 2816 x 1872

Camera Toss on Anaesthetix's New Album!

2007-10-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Camera tossing and electronic music have partnered in Micromatek's new album - It's Not A Game. This electronica group comes from the record label Anaesthetix and their 3 track album is simply hot hot hot! This group is based in Torino, Italy - but who says the rest of the world can't enjoy their music? But more importantly, our works have converged to create an exciting album cover for everyone to see. It's animated, flashy, and awesome. I like it a lot. Each camera toss represents one of their three songs on this album: Acid Girl Toys, Wake Up At 3.00 PM, and I Lost My u.f.o. Click the album cover below to see it in its flashing glory!

But wait, haven't you seen these camera tosses before? Indeed you have, they are from my recent Pax Otium and Sea Breeze camera tossing sets. Take a look below to see how they skillfully adapted my camera tosses for their new album cover:

Want to listen to the songs of It's Not A Game? Or simply learn more about Aenesthetix and Micromatek? Here are some links that you may find interesting:

Aenesthetix's Official Website/Blog
Aenesthetix's Music MySpace
Micromatek's Music MySpace

Dry Cleaning

2007-10-11T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a new set of camera tosses made at a Dry Cleaning station. The lighting was actually different this time, and consisted of green and red neon lights on the outside of this dry cleaning station.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Neon lights

The Detriments of Aging

2007-09-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

These camera tosses are of an assortment of traffic lights, tail lights, and head lights - highly reminiscent of my first on-the-road camera tossing set. Furthermore, if you take a closer look, you will notice how the lights gradually grow into larger forms - a metaphorical interpretation of how many elements of life get larger (and sometimes more difficult to handle).

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Lights on the road

Squared Light

2007-09-05T14:00:00.000-07:00

After over a month of waiting, I have finally received my own copies of Foto Magazin! What a terribly long wait, but it was well worth it! The print and article look amazing. On the other hand, featured below is also one of my first LCD tosses. The subject was a simple hollow square. Enjoy.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Camera Toss in Foto Magazin!

2007-08-21T19:00:00.000-07:00

Der große Wurf! It's the new title for the camera tossing special in Foto Magazin. Literally translated, it means "The Great Toss!" This is the perfect medium for reaching out to the photography world (well at least in Europe's German speaking countries at least). Need some mental refreshment? Here's the introduction and interview about Foto Magazin and Anja Martin from May.

To review, Foto Magazin is a photography magazine that focuses on all types of imaging from contemporary photography to practical and technical photography advice. They publish camera reviews and once in a while, will cover new and experimental types of photography, like camera tossing! With a readership of over 300,000 people, Foto Magazin is Europe's leading photography magazine. They specifically cater to the German speaking countries including Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

Anja Martin, the author of this superb article, hand selected a few active members of the camera tossing community to learn more about us individually and about camera tossing as a whole. Her extensive interviews are clearly reflected in the in depth coverage of camera tossing in her five page article. Below are some screen shots of the article. If you would like a PDF copy, simply contact me and I will forward you one right away!

Foto Magazin has also published a short version of their article online on their website. It's a basic summary of Anja's article and may be of interest to you. Click below to read about it more:

Camera Toss in Foto Magazin
http://www.fotomagazin.de/galerie/detail.php?we_objectID=490

But why read some digital copy when you can read it in full in the actual magazine? It's out on the shelves so pick one up! The article begins on page 18, and on page 19, you will find my very own camera toss. It's one of my Waterfall camera tosses and can be viewed in its original post.

Simple Curves

2007-08-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LED lights from a camping torch

Camera Toss Mutation!

2007-08-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

We begin with a simple and graceful white and pristine figure. As it "mutates" more elements are brought in, and it ultimately becomes a complex and chaotic form with many colors and distractions. Please note that all six of these camera tosses were done with the same subject on the LCD screen. Distance and location of the camera relative to the screen allowed me to control what was or wasn't included in the image.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Camera Toss in Mission Volunteering

2007-08-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Camera tossing has gotten a little blurb in the local newsletter for the Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston, Texas. As some of you may know, I volunteer at the hospital on a weekly basis in the Neuroscience Unit. However, after a year's worth of helping out the coolest yet odd nursing staff, I thought it'd be a good idea to move up higher and help out the Junior Volunteer Board. With a few positions open, I grabbed two of them and am now their new Co-Social Director and Webmaster.

Every two to three months, the Junior Volunteer Board pushes out an awesome newsletter for the volunteers and staff. Lucky me, I got my own featured article, and camera tossing was clearly prominent in the discourse of the content. Take a look:

Artful Paintings

2007-08-06T13:21:00.000-07:00

Camera tossing takes a lot of creativity sometimes, and with the help of the community and their ideas, it's possible to make one flashlight be the source of 2, 3 or maybe even 4 camera toss styles. In this example, two flashlights were shined on a CD, and then I did a camera toss of it's reflection (in the negative mode).

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Two LED Flashlights reflected on a CD

iRiver Camera Toss!

2007-08-03T12:38:00.000-07:00

Below are what daylight camera tosses look like - as you can tell, they're completely different from anything else you've seen on lightXposed. Technical workings of digital cameras allow them to process images and distort them. Some objects may be flip flopped, some bent, some even divided ultimately creating a view of our world like none other.

Subject: Wildlife and architecture outside of my house | Resolution: 640 x 480

Sea Breeze

2007-07-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

This camera tossing set was done on the day I first started close up LCD tossing with that Midnight Rainbow set - which also explains why these are also somewhat out of focus.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LCD screen

Pax Viridis

2007-07-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Throughout the course of your camera tossing hobby/activity, you may find that you're stuck with the usual black background, and occasionally a little bit of dark blue or purple. So here's an easy solution. Remember that little "negative" setting in your camera that was never really useful for anything? Well now it will be. You'll get a new refreshing outlook on camera tossing as white and other new colors come into play under this setting. Here's an example with my recent Pax Otium camera tossing set:

How to do negative camera tosses:

Everything is physically the same. Continue your usual camera tossing techniques.
Explore your digital camera's settings, specifically the manual mode where it lets you tweak some minor settings. Find a setting where it says "negative" or "invert," it may be near other settings including "sepia," "solarize," and "black and white."
Select that option, and perform your camera toss. However, if for any reason you don't have that negative setting, you can invert your camera toss image on the computer. (Or you can shoot in normal mode, and then invert later and have the best of both worlds.) Photoshop is a popular photo editing software you can use. Depending on the version you have, these steps may be a little bit different. Go to Image > Adjust > Invert.
Have fun and experiment with different original colors. On the other hand, don't expect every inverted camera toss to turn out good. Not all colors can be inverted nicely.

Pax Otium

2007-07-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's a new and highly improved LCD camera tossing set I took last night. Thanks to some fellow camera tossers, I got several tips on how to do LCD camera tosses. Thus, I discovered the fact that camera tossing can mask itself in a facade of simplicity, but once this activity is probed through different techniques, a whole new world of intricate and complex procedures in revealed.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944
Subject: LCD screen

This set was a lot harder than I thought. Here's how and why:

To do LCD camera tosses, you need an LCD monitor (I've only tried LCD computer monitors so far, but I assume that LCD TVs will work almost the same way).
Now you need an image to display on the LCD. Some criteria I've found that works best include: mostly black image, few strokes of bright stripes, dots, outlined shapes, the brighter and thinner the lines, the better the camera toss will turn out. You can do this on Microsoft Paint, Photoshop, or you can try to find an image that might fit these criteria. Also, choose colors that you like and think will go good together. Colors tend to mix when doing LCD camera tosses, so always keep that in mind.
Now you need to display this image on your LCD screen. The only colors that should show up are those colored lines. If theres any other color, including white, it will show up on in your camera toss. Optional but suggested - cover up external lights that may be surrounding your LCD screen (computer gadgets, clocks, lighted buttons, etc).
Now that you've got your set up all done, you need to set up your camera. Make sure there's no flash and is on a slow shutter mode. If you are one of the few who are willing to use manual cameras, set these values accordingly.
Here's the hard part - I found that most digital cameras auto-focus and because of the close proximity to the screen, and variable movements of the camera while tossing, the resulting image may come out unfocused. Thanks to mtnrockdhh, a trick you can use is half press the shutter button to set the focus. Once it's focused, you can fully press the shutter button and then release the camera into the air. This will take much practice. Once again, if you are using a camera in which you can manually set the focus, do so, this will eliminate a lot of effort and will increase the rate of a successful image.
Now is the variated part of LCD tossing. You will need to experiment with different throwing styles, whether it's the traditional spin or a hand to hand throw and catch. You will also need to experiment on the distance from your camera to your screen. This particular set was done about 1.5 feet away. The speed of your spin is also another factor. I found that the faster you spin, the more busy and cluttered the image will turn out. The best method was just simply tossing it up with only 1 or 1.5 rotations max. And lastly, you will need to experiment with different images you display on your LCD. Find the combination you are most comfortable with, and your camera tosses will be personally perfect.

Anything unclear? Are your camera tosses not working? Leave a comment or drop an email and I will help you as much as I can. Hope you enjoyed this mini tutorial and camera tossing set!

Midnight Rainbow

2007-07-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Camera tossing is a very large and wide aspect of photography. Just like normal photography which has sub genres of macros, landscape, HDR, portraits, and so on... camera tossing also has sub genres. Theres TV tossing, daylight tossing, negative tossing, and today, I learned how to do LCD tossing. I must admit, that these first LCD camera tossing sets aren't that great. Because of the close proximity to the LCD itself, it's tricky to get the camera to focus right in the current lighting conditions. Henceforth the out of focus camera tosses below...

So, it's just a matter of practice now! Try it out [at your own risk].

Complete my Heart

2007-07-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Sansa e200 Scroll Wheel

Untitled Paintings

2007-07-02T21:55:00.000-07:00

These camera tosses were made with CD reflections, but this time, I used the negative setting and didn't mess with that slow shutter stuff. Turned out great I think.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Flashlight and CD

Reflections

2007-06-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

It has been a rough time these past few days, so it's time to move on. This new camera tossing set, named reflections, was made by a flashlight and a CD. Basically, what I did was I shined the light into the CD to get rainbow-like reflections. They're not totally great, but I've got to start somewhere, right? Coincidentally, it was also a time for reflection on views of life. Former president Abraham Lincoln said that "...in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years..." So from my experience to yours, make the most out of your life and live it to the fullest.

Also, if you pay close attention, you will notice that Reflections 6 looks like the Star Trek logo (not that I watch it...), and Reflections 7 looks like the Wachovia logo. Interesting.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944
Subject: Flashlight and CD

Rest in Peace Calvin Nguyen

2007-06-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

This camera toss is dedicated to Calvin Nguyen. He's a guy I've never truly met. I've seen him a few times these past two weeks in a government and economics course, but otherwise I have never spoken a word to him. He went to Dulles High School and was supposedly really smart, fun, and particularly popular. I personally don't know. But, on Thursday evening , June 21st, 2007, Calvin got into a car accident and suffered a fatal death. The accident happened on Lexington Blvd. heading towards Highway 6 at one of the entrances to the Gables Apartments. Summer school won't be the same with out you. Even for people who don't even know you. It's so strange to have someone in your class to be there one day studying next to you, and the next day gone. Tragic. Feel free to leave your comments and condolences...

Command Z Exhibition Closes

2007-05-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

May 26th marked the closing of the successful Command Z exhibition at the Torrance Art Museum in Torrance, California. It was a great experience for everyone who participated in it, and let's thank Ryan Gallagher for making the community driven slideshow possible. We also need to thank Ted Fisher and Doug McCulloh for making this show come to life. And lastly, we can't forget the Torrance Art Museum who welcomed their proposal. According to Ted, this show may be moving to New York in the future, so keep a look out! Till then, let's hope for another great exhibition.

Click on the sign see a glimpse of what other parts of the Command Z exhibition looked like. Most of them feature the ever popular time lapse videos where people photograph themselves for a billion days (if not more) and run them through a quick video to reveal progression in their lives. Sadly, the camera toss exhibit is not shown... But be sure to check back for any new updates! Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures and snapshots of the museum and camera toss portions of the exhibition.

Blades of Light

2007-05-24T20:05:00.000-07:00

This camera toss set distorts the CRT screen so much that they look like blades of light rather than square screens.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: CRT Monitor

Dabble Dabble

2007-05-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

Camera tossing is still a rather new form of photography even though it was given birth in 2005. But as camera tossers try to become more artistic, different methods must be experimented with. This set, entitled Dabble Dabble (for the spots), was done with a CRT monitor displaying circles in various hues on a black background (and also inverted). This then displays only the shape and not the black background, virtually giving you the ability to manipulate and create different light sources.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: CRT Monitor

Atomic Decay

2007-05-19T22:00:00.000-07:00

Atomic Decay...it is the process in which an unstable atomic nucleus loses energy by emitting radiation in the form of particles or electromagnetic waves. As you can see here, the tight atomic camera toss decays and progressively breaks up.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Bathroom Light

Purple Iris

2007-05-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

Most camera tosses either have a black or white background. But as more experimentation is done, more results are produced. When tossing right before the sun shows up, I've found that you get a purple background which is exhibited in this camera toss. So if you are tired of a black or white camera toss, today's your day. It may take some sacrifice to get up early, or take some time out of your commute to work, but the results are definitely unique.

Resolution: 640 x 480 | Subject: 2 Door Lamps and Ambient Sunlight

Fotomagazin Interview & Article

2007-05-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Anja Martin, a freelance writer, has contacted me to do an interview with a German photography magazine called Foto Magazin. Foto Magazin is Germany's leading photography magazine with a readership of over 300,000 people making it Europe's most read photography publication (Moreover, it reaches it's main German speaking countries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria.) They target both amateur and professional photographers. Since 1949, they have focused on all types of imaging from contemporary photography to practical and technical photography advice.

Currently, Anja is working on an article about the art of camera tossing and have chosen select members of the camera tossing community, of which I was one of those selected. This article will feature camera tosses from about five other people and will be published mid-June.

So if you live in Germany, grab a copy of Fotomagazin in June and take a look! Once I receive my own copy, I will definitely give you guys a look at what they've done. Check back to see if there are any updates!

Updates: The article was delayed to ensure proper documentation and understanding of the art of camera tossing. However, if you're reading this now, you're in luck because the article was just released in the August 2007 edition of Foto Magazin! If you're living in a German speaking country, go to your local book shop and pick up an issue of Foto Magazin. Snapshots and translations of it will be coming soon so keep checking back!

Interview with Anja Martin

2007-05-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

The following is a somewhat long e-interview I did with Anja Martin concerning the art of camera tossing for her new article in Germany's Foto Magazin. If you've been keeping track at news here at lightXposed, you can tell that my perspective has changed a little bit since the time of this interview. What can I say though? Camera tossing is still relatively new and is constantly evolving. Have fun reading this especially long interview.

Age: 16
Location: Sugar Land, Texas, United States of America
Profession: Student and Medical Intern

1. What brought you to camera tossing?
I was brought into camera tossing through a photo sharing community called Flickr. The camera tossing group was featured on the groups page, and I decided to view it only to find amazing abstract images that were ironically done with a camera. I had a digital camera and a light, so I thought I’d try it. And with the beautiful results it produced, I started the art of camera tossing.

2. What’s the fascination about it? What drives you to do it again and again?
Tossing the camera is what is fascinating about it. Just think about, have you ever thought of any type of photography that involved throwing an expensive piece of equipment in the air? The answer is simply "no", and when I do it myself, I am thrilled by the mere fact that my camera is in the air taking a picture when I’m not even controlling it. But what really causes the excitement is the tension and stress (a good stress) that I get from throwing my camera. It’s a gamble between your camera or an amazing photo. For me, I love the gamble. Its all in the uncertainty of what is going to happen. And lastly, the image that pops up on the screen when I catch my camera drives me to keep on tossing my camera even more. It's so simple, and it takes only about 2 seconds to produce what a graphic designer would take hours to make.

3. Isn’t it frustrating to get random results? Or aren’t the results random at all?
Frustrating? No… It’s interesting to get random results. That’s why you do it. It’s like opening a door to see what’s behind it. It may be something bad or maybe something good, but it’s the excitement of doing it in the first place. Depending on the skill level of camera tossing, it's quite easy to get similar results if you want to. It's all about controlling your wrists and your hand. Over time you will be able to memorize certain movements and can easily create identical camera tosses. However, when casually tossing, results are usually random, and that’s how I like it.

4. Aren’t you worried about your camera? How many cameras have you ruined? What cameras do you use?
Of course I’m worried about my camera. It’s a $500.00 piece of equipment that I can’t afford to buy again. But as a thrill seeker, I’ll take the risks. In the past year of tossing, I haven’t damaged any of my cameras at all. The most I’ve done to my Sony CyberShot DSC-T1 is accidentally open the battery flap letting the battery fly out while midair. As I said earlier, I use a Sony Cybershot DSC-T1 and would highly recommend it as a starting camera for camera tossing. It's thin and just the right weight to do successful spins and flips.

5. There are probably a couple of ways to get a good image. Have you found your own technique?
Actually, there are no specific ways of getting a good photo. In any technique, one can produce a beautiful image. It's mainly a matter of the light source and positioning of the camera while in the air. I like to spin my cameras as fast as possible, doesn’t matter any direction, just fast. Manipulating your own light source also enables more flexibility to get the results that you want.

6. Are there “How-to’s” discussed in the community, or is it more the personal secret of everyone?
The How To’s are a great resource for beginners. Actually it’s just setting the camera in a long exposure mode (usually a night setting with no flash) and tossing the camera in the air for about a second. There’s no concrete way of doing it. However, as one continues to toss, each person develops his or her own style that is equally beautiful to everyone else’s. Sorry no secrets here…

7. Are there basics to remember to get a good result?
The most important thing I would say to get a good result is to have the camera on the right setting (long exposure) and a good light subject. For beginners, I would highly recommend going out on the streets and tossing in front of cars. It's an easy subject that can’t be missed no matter what angle your camera is thrown at.

8. Are there any “Dont’s” at camera tossing? During the shooting and afterwards? Photoshop for example?
Hmm…I would say, "Don’t drop your camera!" But secondary to that would be don’t hold on to your camera in any fashion. This will produce light smears or light painting-like results. Thus holding on to your camera with a strap won’t produce a camera toss image. Editing the image depends on what your doing to the camera toss. Most of my camera toss photos never need any photoshopping. Photoshop can be used to: Crop, Resize, Contrast, Brighten, Saturate, or Desaturate. It’s not morally good to do any major editing because it would defeat the purpose of doing a camera toss in the first place…

9. Are there any Categories inside camera tossing? I saw self portrait and toss TV (by the way: I guess you don’t toss the TV but the camera??). Is there something else? Or is it nonsense to split camera tossing up into several subcategories?
Camera Tossing has several subcategories including camera toss portrait, daylight camera tossing, and TV tossing. Those are the three main subcategories of the general camera toss. But in reality, it’s all camera tossing but with a change in the light subject.

10. Which kind of camera toss images fascinate you most?
I would say camera tosses of CRT computer screens fascinates me the most. They are very similar to TV tosses, but produce a clearer and more vibrant result.

11. About the community: How big is the community and how important is it to you? Where do you exchange thoughts, ideas and images? Are the members totally different or do you think they have something in common? Probably a way of life, thinking, character or just the way of dealing with photography?
There are about 3,000 members in the Flickr camera toss group. Though this may seem like a large number, you will come to learn that maybe only one tenth fully participate in camera tossing. Many join the group to look at images, and other’s are one time camera tossers that just want to show off what they’ve done. The community is great. I’ve found my spot in one of the most active camera tossers in the camera tossing community. As I said earlier, Flickr is one of my main methods of sharing ideas and talking to other camera tossers. However, I share my camera tossing photography to the whole world on my camera tossing gallery called lightXposed. This website allows me to see what the world is thinking, especially abstract art and photography enthusiasts. The members in the community are of all ages and races, but we are all united under the style of camera tossing.

12. Camera toss starts to get into galleries and museums. Have you already had an exhibition?
I have participated in one exhibition so far called the Command Z exhibition at the Torrance Art Museum in California. It was a great experience and was particularly interesting to see the public's reactions to camera tossing. I however plan on doing another exhibition in New York later on this year, and another in a local restaurant.

13. Which reactions do you get on your photos? For example friends and family? Do they take your hobby serious?
The most common reaction I get is “You did that on your camera?!” But otherwise, it's just the public and friends. Ironically, I haven’t even told my parents about camera tossing at all. They have no idea what I’m doing, but I guess I’ll surprise them one day with my great successes. But yes, my friends always want to see me perform a camera toss, and they absolutely love lightXposed.

14. How much is the waste in camera tossing?
Waste? What waste? It’s all gain and nothing to lose (besides a lot of time – its very distracting!)

15. Do you make the pictures on your daily routes or when you get bored in front of TV? Or is it more of a planned shooting?
As a busy high school student, most of my camera tosses occur whenever I find it. Deliberate shootings are rare for me. I usually do camera tosses when out in the city, or walking at night or in the early morning. However, camera tossing is a great thing to take up when I’m bored. I may do it at school, or if I’m bored enough, I’ll go outside to take some.

16. Is it kind of a game, or is it hard work? Probably sometimes too hard to get the result you want?
Hark work? Absolutely not! It's more of a game to try to get the best photograph you can get. It's never too hard to do a camera toss, even if you don’t get the results you want. Just try again later! It only takes 2 seconds to do one.

17. Is there any interesting, funny or dramatic by-story you experienced with camera tossing and you’d like to tell?
I’ve attempted to do extremely high camera tosses, but when you do this at night, its hard to see where you camera has gone. And one night, it was as if it disappeared into thin air. I couldn’t see it, but when it came back down, it hit me on the head giving me a bruise (but I still caught the camera!)

18. How do people and bystanders react to camera tossing?
Most think “What the bloody hell is that little boy doing?!” If people ask, I show them what I just captured on my camera, and they’re almost always amazed.

19. How would you place camera toss within “fun photography”? For Example is it connected to Lomo? Are the people connected somehow?
It’s definitely fun photography, and shouldn’t be connected to work or labor at all.

20. Is there a future for camera toss?
I would say there is a future for camera tossing! It's so easy and fun and it produces the greatest abstract pictures anywhere! But realistically speaking, I believe that camera toss photos will make it onto the news and into famous galleries and museums one day.

Elements of Nature

2007-05-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

Here's a second camera tossing set of CRT computer screens. Don't forget to view my first CRT camera tossing set.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: CRT Monitor

Morning Toss

2007-05-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

I left the house a bit early today to get some camera tosses that for once weren't in pitch black darkness. So on my 5 minute walk towards my bus stop I managed to capture 8 camera tosses that were quite interesting.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Outdoor lights and faint light from the unrisen sun

Alien Camera Toss

2007-04-30T19:54:00.000-07:00

I camera tossed in front of an alien UFO last night.

Mary Emenogu

2007-04-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a camera toss set dedicated for Mary Emenogu. Happy 17th Birthday! Hope you like it.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LED Flashlight

Projector TV Toss

2007-04-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while since I've done my last camera tossing set and so I thought I'd try out my projector TV. Projector TV's and CRT monitors are alike in the fact that camera tossing reveal the screen's frames. I thought it was interesting, and so here it is for you to view!

Resolution: 2592 x 1944
Subject: Projector TV

Command Z Exhibition Update

2007-04-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know, the Torrance Art Museum in California is showcasing camera tossing in the Command Z Exhibition. It's not like any other regular art show with clean walls and canvases hung up. It reflects the modern medium of digital art. Through exciting interfaces, observers can play with projectors and explore hundreds of camera tosses or simply view them as an ongoing slideshow.

I currently have 65 active camera tosses being displayed in Command Z (and this number will continue to grow through end of May). Note: These photos are not from Command Z at the Torrance Art Museum... I couldnt take pictures of this exhibition because I'm still a student and I can't leave the house to visit my photography so far away!

This show has started to pick up media as more and more people come to visit this free exhibit. Some of this media includes:

The L.A. Times - A Fast Forward Trip Through Time's Passage
JPG Magazine - Right Now: Torrance, CA: Command Z
The Daily Breeze - Art: Pixel perfect
Bush Finger - Please Select an Artist

Camera Tossing Triumverate

2007-04-18T19:51:00.000-07:00

Blue - Yellow - Red. The three primary colors.

Fiery Splash Toss

2007-04-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you combine an LED flashlight, Christmas lights, and negative settings?

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LED Flashlight + Christmas Lights

Atomic Toss ^ Squared

2007-04-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: 2 LED Flashlights

Atomic Toss

2007-04-10T20:59:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: LED Flashlight

Purple Luminosity

2007-04-07T14:14:00.000-07:00

Negative image processing is available on almost any modern camera, but what is it like to do it on the computer? Here's an experimental camera toss set that explores the endless possibilities of negative image processing on the computer.

Resolution: 2592 x 1944
Subject: Christmas Lights

Royal Flexure

2007-04-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

Simple blue lights flex as they create simple curves...

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: Blue Christmas Lights

Intricate Delineations

2007-04-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: White Christmas Lights

CRT Toss

2007-03-31T20:45:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: CRT Computer Screen

A Thousand Lights

2007-03-31T20:28:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 2592 x 1944 | Subject: String of Christmas Lights

Command Z at Torrance Art Museum

2007-03-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

The Torrance Art Museum of Los Angeles, California is showcasing breakthroughs in modern photography of which it is showcasing the technique of camera tossing in an exhibit called Command Z. Through the camera tossing community, selected works have been chosen to be broadcasted to the public community via a continuous slideshow spanning the length of the exhibit. Of which, several (current count: Too many to count!) of my very own camera tosses are being showcased in the Command Z Exhibition. Tickets are free, so if youre in the LA area, come take a look and support lightXposed and every other camera tosser out there!

Graphic Toss

2007-03-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

My best camera tossing set to date. It has a graphic look and was captured in Sugar Land's Town Square.

Resolution: 2048 x 1536 | Subject: Strip of Bulbs

Smoky Toss

2007-03-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

A black and white camera toss set that resembles smoke.

Resolution: 2048 x 1536 | Subject: Closet light

Road Toss 3

2007-03-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

A camera tossing shoot while on the road. No I wasn't driving...

Resolution: 2048 x 1536 | Subject: Tail lights, Head lights, Traffic lights

Road Tossing 2

2007-03-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

A negative camera tossing shoot while on the road.

Resolution: 2048 x 1536 | Subject: Tail lights, Head lights, Traffic lights

Negative Lamp Toss

2007-03-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

A camera tossing set exploring the effects of inverting a camera toss directly on the camera itself.

Resolution: 1280 x 960 | Subject: Dual lamp

Screen Toss

2007-03-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

Resolution: 1536 x 2048 | Subject: LCD Monitor

Experiments with Color

2007-03-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

Second set of camera tosses exploring the use of colored lights!

Resolution: VGA | Subject: Lamp

Road Tossing

2007-03-27T20:04:00.000-07:00

My first set of camera tosses ever done.

Resolution: 800 x 600 | Subject: Head lights and Tail lights

Archives of Galleries

2007-02-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Press & Exhibitions

2007-02-03T16:00:00.000-08:00

Camera tossing has gained so much popularity not only through its respective Flickr group, but rather countless articles and reports in magazines and newspapers. Of which, my very own camera tosses have made it into several mediums. Take a look below to find out more information.

Simply click on an icon to learn more.

What: Foto Magazin
When: August 2007 Edition
Description: Anja Martin features the art of camera tossing to the rest of the photography world. In a 5 page article she covers many points of camera tossing. Must read!

What: Mission: Volunteering
When: August - September Edition
Description: Houston's Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital features members of its board in which camera tossing was highlighted in Jonathan Vo's profile.

What: Micromatek - It's Not A Game EP
When: October 2007
Description: Camera tossing and electronic music have come together in a new album cover for the Italian group - Micromatek. See what record label Anaesthetix has created this time!

Camera tossing has also made a long way since it first originated back in 2005. Its momentum has driven this style of photography into many museums and galleries. Of which, some of my very own camera tosses were exhibited. Below are some of the exhibitions that I've participated in so far...

Simply click exhibition icons to view details and updates.

Command Z
March 31 - May 26, 2007

Contact lightXposed!

2007-02-02T19:49:00.000-08:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://contactlightxposed.wufoo.com/forms/contact-lightxposed-jonathan-vo/" title="HTML form"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fill out my Wufoo form!&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

lightXposed: The Story

2007-02-01T19:47:00.000-08:00

About this Website
lightXposed is a personal gallery of an experimental method of photography called camera tossing. This relatively new method of photography utilizes a set up of a digital camera on a slow shutter mode, various sources and combination of lights in a dark setting, and like the name says, a camera tossed in the air. Learn more about the method of camera tossing in this how-to.

About the Photographer
Jonathan Vo is a student at New Jersey Institute of Technology's Honors College. He is currently studying as a biology BS major, and is enrolled in an accelerated BS/DMD program with New Jersey Dental School. Originally from Sugar Land, Texas, Jonathan has proven to be an accomplished individual. Graduating 5th in class (out of 554) from Hightower High School's Medical Sciences Academy, Jonathan has maintained a pristine academic record. Outside of school, he has studied in several internships at the Texas Medical Center and at private dental offices.

Ever since 2006, Jonathan has begun experimenting with camera tossing. With no previous photography skills, camera tossing was the perfect outlet for his creativity. Throughout the years, Jonathan has developed his camera tossing skills and has gone far enough as to create this very blog, lightXposed. After putting his camera toss photos online, Jonathan has been offered several offers to participate in magazine publications and exhibitions (which can be found here).

Feel free to browse the galleries, and if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you may contact Jonathan here. A professional resume is available upon request.