By Maegan Murray, WSU Tri-Cities
RICHLAND, Wash. – Intending to major in science, Chris Cannon found he connected more with art. So when the recent Night with the Arts at Washington State University Tri-Cities announced it would focus on light, he mixed the fundamentals of photography with the mechanics of physical light.
“I thought, ‘How can I photograph light and have it just be light in its purest form?’” said the senior in digital technology and culture. “I wanted to figure out a way to turn my DSLR camera into a spectrometer.”
Cannon searched the Web and came across a technique using broken glass and light refraction.
“Glass is imperfect by nature,” he said. “So when you send light through it, the light takes its own path and you end up with these abstract designs.”
He said while the setup was relatively simple, it took hours to get the settings just right and to get the angle of the light directed correctly.
Cannon received an award during last year’s Night with the Arts for his gunpowder drawings. He said he tries to pick art that will challenge him intellectually and visually.
“I have an overflowing bucket of ideas, sometimes to the point where it interrupts my sleep,” he said. “I have to do something with those. I think that is what drives me.”
His works and others from the Night with the Arts remain on exhibit at WSU Tri-Cities.