PetaPixel.com - This Photographer Shoots Sun-sational Optical Illusions

ip_lepat · Post time 7-2-2021 01:02 AM

Edited by ip_lepat at 7-2-2021 12:56 AM

This Photographer Shoots Sun-sational Optical Illusions

Visual artist Sulabh Lamba has a passion for sunsets and photography. He has created a body of work overthe last 6 years that consists of hilarious illusions showing silhouettes ofpeople interacting with the setting sun.

Warning: If this article inspires you to take photos of thesun through a telephoto lens, do not look at the sun even briefly through anoptical viewfinder (like what’s found in a DSLR) as it can cause injury to theeye even with brief exposures and even with ND filters. And, even if you arenot looking through the viewfinder, long exposures canpossibly damage the sensor.

“In 2014, I saw an announcement of a National Geographicphoto contest,” Lamba tells PetaPixel. “So, for that, I made an Instagramaccount and posted my images for that particular hashtag.”

“Imagine…No knowledge of photography, only some interest init made me enter…” recollects Lamba. “I laugh at these images. They don’t evenmake any sense.”

Lamba, who turned 22 last November, lives in the smallvillage of Golia located about 60 miles southwest of New Delhi, India’scapital. He holds a BS in zoology from the University of Delhi, and photographyis a passion and a hobby.

Lamba’s foray into photography started half a decade agowhen he first picked up a 2-megapixel smartphone.

“I struggled a lot as there was nobody in my circle whocould help me,” he says.

Much later, he acquired a Nikon D5300 with a 70-300mm lensfor his sun photos. He also uses Xiaomi Mi 10T and Poco X2 smartphones.

Most of the photos are shot between f/6.3 to f/10 dependingon sunlight conditions. In action shots, he keeps the shutter speed above1/500s.

The sun is always a focal point in Lamba’s visual drama. Helikes do things like carry the sun on his back, play leapfrog with the sun,feed the sun to a bird with its beak open, kick the sun anime style into anopponent, shovel the sun away as though he is farming, carry the sun over aledge with help from a friend, and do a high wire walk with the sun looming inthe background.

His favorite series shot so far shows him pushing the sunover a cliff and walking away with a job-well-done attitude.

“Initially, I didn’t make [the sun] my target,” Lambaexplains. “I love sunsets, more than sunrises, plus I saw many images on socialmedia as well. They really inspired me, and I started creating that content.With time I got to know that I love images with backlight, silhouettes. So, Iused my creative skills and made interesting images.”

His friends are always willing models for his sunphotography as he poses them in silhouette to take on their exact place inthese photo drama canvases.

“Because of COVID-19, I have not met any of my friendsrecently, and since then, my brothers have helped out,” the photographer says.

Lamba now has over 25,000 followers on Instagram.

“It feels great to have this much audience,” he reflects. “Inever thought this many people would ever join me in my journey. I am very thankfulfor all the love people shower on my work. With big numbers come bigresponsibilities. I have to make more amazing content for my audience now. I amgetting love from foreign countries and my own people as well, and I feelreally blessed.”

Snapseed and Lightroom are his go-to programs.

“If a photograph is already up to the mark or the colors arealready pleasant, then there are fewer requirements of post-processing,” hesays. “I use the phone only for editing and post-processing.”

Are the photos made by double exposure in post?

“Yes, but partially,” Lamba says. “My images are edited andreal [in camera] as well. I use PicsArt formanipulation purposes. But not all the images are double exposure; only some ofthem are. Some images are the result of more than two images. And all that isdone based on the idea and concept behind the shots. That way, I can createwhat I really thought. Either it’s reality or just my imagination. If I canthink it, I can create it.”

When people ask Lamba if he is a professional photographer,his quick response is, “I would choose ‘passionate photographer’.” However, heis a “professional” as well — he is currently a content creator for Xiaomi India.

You can find more of Lamba’s photography and follow along through his Instagram.

About the author: Phil Mistry is a photographer and teacherbased in Atlanta, GA. He started one of the first digital camera classes in NewYork City at The International Center of Photography in the 90s. He was the director and teacher for Sony/Popular Photographymagazine’s Digital Days Workshops.