man, those Star Wars Figures from Hasbro, are really seductive. I mean first out, Star Wars is of course something most people are familiar with, and often loved in many forms. Second, the figures are despite their 15 cm size, often very realistic made. So, you do get a really positive vibe with / on / about them. And like a teenager - i get drawn into this land of "collecting figures", all of the sudden.

Well, for photography, it might not turn out that bad - because once i start making more light painting experiments - the joy and passion of actually working with it - may subdue the teenagers passion of "wanting all the figures", you know. Once you work - you work (and not think so much of getting more / collecting more figures).

After all - it will most likely fade after some time (for example when the sunlight returns in big ways like April and May). And/or when there is too much repetition going on in my images.

But for now

I really enjoy the experiments; the mix between working with "close up" light paintings together with the beauty of those little figures (and those I have, and will have on order)

It is mind boggling, how much Star Wars goodies out there... Mama mia. I am sure that the latest incarnations are better because of the molding (or 3-D printing). I have seen old ones, but the visual appearance in their faces isn't really anything like their counterpart faces in cinema movies.

In my world of light painting photography however, there will be (most likely) mixes between different episodes / characters. Throw in some X-Men, too. And of course, Big Daddy Godzilla.

Our local house god and protector One of several.

Godzilla - yeah !

I remember back in Berlin as a young teenager - perhaps when i turned 12 or 13. Yes, On 13 March 1979, i turned 13 - And there was a partial eclipse of the moon over Berlin - and a Godzilla movie on TV !! Like Super WOW ! (it was extremely rare to see Godzilla on German TV).

I liked the monster directly.

The one I have now at home since 10 years, is an exact copy. Not one the other "Godzilla" types which just look funky/ugly/weird. I mean the original Godzilla. Directly via eBay from Japan and back then i felt it was pretty expensive (1100 SEK) - but it looked like the real Godzilla - which was the most important aspect for me.

The plastic however had hardened so badly that it was almost impossible to get the pieces together. I had to cut ( a little bit on the inside pieces where you push two parts together) and then glue in order to get it into a whole - and stay as a whole (which it has).

So, it must been a very old Godzilla, whose plastic had hardened to stone.

Evening of 13 March 1979 in Berlin

It was also in the age when I started to get interested into stars (Earlier I was mainly only interested in planets). But from this night on, i started to learn all the signs in the sky - and next summer, I could identify all of them. As well many names of the stars. Which I still remember - or at least a lot of them.

It was also the first time in my life, i saw an eclipsed moon; partially reddish on one (lower) side, covered in the umbra shadow by around 80%, seen through the kitchen window in an ugly, high / narrow backyard in Berlin-Schöneberg. But the moon was there... reddish. And I felt like i had won the lottery on my birthday.

In silence, for and by myself, I mean. The gifts that are out there. not from parents (if there even where any - because mostly it was a non-event to have a birthday). But out there, where many gifts. If you had the eyes and senses for it. to open up.

And boy, did I open my senses to everything in the sky, and around me.