The Ball of Light is a photographic project by Southern Australian (Adelaide) photographer Denis Smith. Using a single long exposure and moving a light source around in the air to create the ball, Denis has taken traditional photography (no Photoshop or special processing is used) and added a new dimension with these beautiful creations.
Whether taken indoors or outdoors, daylight or nighttime, the glowing orbs of light are both mystical and hypnotic. Some of the following images have been cropped, to see the full sized images, check the links at the end of this post.
In the photographers own words:
The Ball of Light floats in space transforming various locales into mystical portals bursting with otherworldly colours and energy. The contrast of the glowing spheres with the straight precise lines of the settings pulls in the viewer, triggering a sense of imagination and wonder. It's ethereal and still organic, and at the same time bold and almost blunt. The Ball of light fits into and augments its settings without being overwhelming.
"There is so much post processing of photography today, I wanted to create something that was real, yet unreal. No pixels are added or subtracted from the Ball of Light images.
Living in South Australia has inspired me as a person and as a photographer. The constantly changing country side, the incredible landscapes and beautiful city give me no end of scope to work with. I dream of searching the planet for the Ball of Light. It has enlightened my life, perhaps it may bring joy to others."
Ball of Light website
See his Ball of Light flickr images here
You can order prints of these and more images here