It sounds a bit crazy when you start a career by saying you want to make something that has never been done before. That was my fundamental rule though and I have always been a faithful follower. But a second rule is that you need a solid basic knowledge of the techniques you are using. So, I studied hard to find out how the technical masters did their thing. Then I did something else.

There are several ways of expressing whatever you need to express. I was a light man. I like sound and movement too, but light just has everything and has always been there. Light is fast as hell and burns harder than fire. Light can kill you and light can break you. And light can make you smile and it can make you happy. So I started with photography. The path of life pushed me into the movie business. I have directed more than a hundred films and had the pleasure of collaborating with some marvelous directors of photography. They showed me how they used the different technical aspects of light and photography to translate my ideas into surprising images. After an accident with seven weeks of coma, I returned to photography. But I had learned the power of moving images and I wanted to introduce this force into the single image photography. So I added a third dimension to the two-dimensional images by moving my camera. I also wanted to focus exclusively on light. And I had my meaning of life: night photography with a moving camera to create a subject from the void with direct, non-reflected light in a one man show.

If the light is the only star and there are no other objects in my pictures… how can they tell a story? I know that direct light remains one of the most fascinating primary phenomena… There will always be curious eyes exploring the flames or stars, the fear of thunder, direct sunlight or darkness. I have been photographing direct light sources for some years now. And the light has shown itself to be a very open star. Bright or gloomy, peaceful or aggressive, but always irresistible and puzzling. I learned one thing: light is inexhaustible, light is always pregnant. And light has told me stories of thousands of years ago... without leaving the absolute darkness.

Chris Vanden Broeke