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I first learned about Dale Chihuly when I visited the Museum of Glass down in Tacoma, WA last summer.  My mother-in-law, who loves Chihuly, has been fascinated by his work for years so when I moved to Seattle last year she recommended we all take a family trip.

The museum is comprised of various works by a number artists in the 20 – 21st century. There are indoor and outdoor exhibits including the famous Chihuly Bridge of Glass – one which you can walk through to get to downtown Tacoma.  By the way, you can view them working in the Hot Shop live here – really cool to see them in action!

Chihuly was born in Tacoma, WA so he is highly admired in the Pacific Northwest as well as all over the world (list of installations can be found here).  This summer, Seattle opened the doors to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibition adjacent to the Space Needle.  For months, I observed the development of the glass building and was eager for its completion.  I held off visiting until two weeks ago so that I could take my mother and sister who were visiting from New York City since they had also seen his sculptures at the Museum of Glass.  I knew that they’d both love it and so would my 3 year old.  We went on a sunny day so that we could enjoy the outdoor garden and relax in the sitting area.

When we first entered, the room was pitch black and I thought to myself, how would I photograph these glass sculptures in the dark without losing its color and form?  I began with two Hipstamatic combos but then soon realized that I wanted the clear effect of the Jane lens so I paired it with Blanko Noir film.  It was magic!

The following shots are all taken in the dark using the Jane lens / BlankoNoir film Hipsta combo – unedited.

After checking out my roll at my home, I was further amazed at how well the combo caught the light and colors of the sculptures – some are even transparent.  Despite the darkness from room to room, the camera managed to capture them beautifully – I just love the high contrast and vivid colors.

I’d love to hear your thoughts and if you have any other tips for shooting in the dark feel free to share them too!

> A special thank you goes out to @praiseboognish for his inspiration.  If you haven’t already seen his work I suggest you check out his gallery – you will be amazed by his artistry and creations!

> Two images from this collection are a part of my #Bsummerabstract series on Instagram.

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Bridgette