All images by Steve Roe. Used with permission.
There may be no signs of the neon trend going away anytime soon, but that doesn’t mean we have to keep shooting the same looks over and over. The latest on our roster of photographers who are creating some interesting stuff with this trend is South Korea-based Steve Roe, who found a way to make neon extra trippy by combining it with kaleidoscopic prism effects.
Inspired by the likes of sci-fi classic Blade Runner and cyberpunk TV series Altered Carbon, Steve took to the streets of Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Macau to carry out his vision of a trippy metropolis. To achieve the visuals he had in mind, he found the light prisms by Fractals especially handy to give the streets an otherworldy look without doing it digitally.
“I looked into light prisms and have used them to duplicate and distort reality, taking my work to the future,” Steve shared when we asked about his photos. “The one I use has a hole in the middle so I can keep my subject clear and have the lights kaleidoscope around them.”
A quick check on his Instagram shows us that Steve has some pretty eye-catching neon street snaps without the extra psychedelia. But the combination of neon colors and kaleidoscope elements make for a really interesting take on street photography, and even street portraits. The sci-fi inspirations are definitely evident, but the Fractals effect took it to a whole new level. He also chose the best locations to try out the prisms and carry out his ideas. Hong Kong and Tokyo are especially perfect for creating hypnotic snaps like these, which is why they are sought after by night-prowling photographers.
Need more inspiration for neon-themed shoots? We’re sure you’ll enjoy the lovely fashion portraits by Thiago Botelho, Elizaveta Porodina, and Mathew Guido also done in their own Blade Runner-inspired style.
Don’t forget to follow Steve Roe on Instagram to see more of his trippy, neon street photography.
