A Kind of Magic – Bogdan Chesaru

I am a self-taught photographer currently living in Constanta, Romania.

For the last four years I have been involved in the process of recording light interference on soap film – a physical phenomenon that surrounds our everyday lives and yet it goes largely unnoticed.

As seen through the camera lens, a vibrant scenery of shapes and patterns, swirling and dancing on the edge of time, arouse both the eye and mind with a sensation of spatial elasticity.

Driven by a strong minimalist impulse, my work is a venture into this playground of the most faint air currents, molecular forces and gravity’s relentless pull.

Viewers are invited to freely construct their own visual narrative as they catch a glimse into the ephemeral universe of the soap bubble.

How it’s made:

A flat soap film is made by dipping a wire frame into the soap bubble mixture. 
The frame is held above a dark surface, and a studio light is aimed at the bubble. The camera is aimed so that the reflection of the light will be seen over the entire surface of the bubble, and a macro-photograph is taken of that reflection.

Equipment:

So far I have only used 35mm cameras. My lens of choice is the Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro lens.

For the next soap bubble series I’m planning to get beyond the limitations of the 35mm cameras by moving to the medium format system.

My workflow involves only minor contrast and saturation corrections applied during the RAW conversion process. All the colors and shapes are there, on the soap film. I just record them as close to reality as possible. I’m a perfectionist and the viewfinder is my canvas.

The photographs showcased here are taken during the period 2007-2008.

You can visit the soap bubble series at: www.akindofmagic.eu