In this striking image from Chapter 6 of Greg Urbano’s Top 100 Journey—titled “The Road Ahead: Recent Work & Ongoing Exploration”—the photographer ventures into territory that merges technical experimentation with performative energy. Shot at Void Studios in Denver during a collaborative session with dancer Shannon Quinn, the photograph represents a deliberate pivot toward long-exposure light painting, a technique the photographer had not previously explored in a controlled studio environment.
The composition centers on a figure clad in black with a blue-toned wig, positioned against a muted backdrop while wielding LED wands that trace vivid arcs of orange and yellow light through space. The long exposure—achieved through rear curtain sync flash combined with continuous LED sources—captures both the frozen stillness of the subject and the kinetic energy of movement, creating a visual paradox that challenges our perception of time. The metallic sheen of the vest catches ambient light, adding textural contrast to the otherwise shadow-heavy figure, while knee-high boots ground the composition in the physical realm even as the light trails suggest something ethereal.
What distinguishes this work within the photographer’s evolving practice is its collaborative foundation. Unlike many studio portraits that position the photographer as sole author, this image emerges from a dialogue between creator and performer. Quinn’s background as a go-go dancer informs the dynamic posture and confident spatial awareness visible in the frame. The choreography of light becomes inseparable from the choreography of the body, suggesting that technical mastery alone cannot produce such results—it requires a willing, skilled collaborator who understands how to perform for extended exposures.
The technical apparatus employed here—a Nikon Z7ii paired with Godox TL30 LED wands and an AD100 strobe—speaks to a hybrid approach that balances ambient light sculpting with decisive flash illumination. Rear curtain sync ensures that the sharpest rendering of the subject occurs at the end of the exposure, allowing motion blur and light trails to accumulate before the final moment of clarity. This reversal of typical flash timing creates a sense of forward momentum, as though the figure is moving into her frozen state rather than away from it.
Within the context of Chapter 6, this photograph embodies the spirit of its subtitle: ongoing exploration. The photographer’s willingness to attempt unfamiliar techniques in a new setting demonstrates an artistic practice that refuses stagnation. Rather than retreating to established strengths, the work here shows someone leaning into uncertainty, using collaboration as a catalyst for discovery.
The color palette—dominated by warm oranges against cool blues and deep blacks—creates a retro-futuristic aesthetic that recalls both 1980s cyberpunk imagery and contemporary LED performance art. Yet the image avoids pastiche. Instead, it synthesizes influences into something distinctly contemporary, a visual language appropriate for documenting this moment in the photographer’s trajectory.
As part of a curated selection representing his strongest work, this image signals not arrival but continuation. It captures the photographer mid-journey, experimenting with new tools and partnerships, documenting not just a subject but a process of becoming. The road ahead, as the chapter title suggests, remains open—and this photograph marks one compelling point along that route.
Greg Urbano 