As a kid I always wondered plasma lamps and the wonderful light patterns they create with the touch of the finger. Of course, all those stores had a sign saying “don’ touch”, but who cares?
Last Christmas (2007) I casually saw one of these lamps during my quest for xmas gifts and decided to fulfil that old dream. Of course, as with all other light sources that I’ve found, the first thing I tried was to take pics of the plasma light… with a big disappointment: It produced far too few light for the fast shutter speed needed to capture the rays, so it was all a big ball of blur.

This Christmas, with the high ISO feature of the new EOS 5D MKII, that reality changed. I re-explored the plasma light with a totally different result. Using ISO 6400, the rays of light are crisp just like the eye experiences them.
I still love the mystery it creates.
-Gerard.