LASER REFLECTIONS: WORK IN PROGRESS

For all our images we use dichroic filters (supplier Abrisa) to increase contrast, reduce noise and minimize ambient light let loose in the room. For all our portraits, amber filters (which eliminate greens and blues) add crispness by reducing the background noise (scatter) predominantly the result of the bluer wavelengths present. The Framelight is very handy when doing quickie installations on walls. We can hang as many as ten images inside an hour with the complete confidence that all will look at near optimum irrespective of ambient light - and with the added benefit that they don’t distract from the images as do some snap-on fixtures.

The second fixture we employ with increasing regularity is what we call the StandOut. The StandOut is a display fixture designed for countertop, desktop or window displays where competing overhead lighting might otherwise prove troublesome or for temporary (quickie) exhibits to include off-site product demos. The StandOut features a small commercial halogen fixture (from Tech Lighting) placed beneath and in front of the image which sits atop a platform allowing different pitch angles to compensate for different placement heights. The light is directed up to an overhead (adjustable pitch) acrylic mirror and reflected down to reconstruct the image. By adjusting the mirror pitch, the color can be tuned and the image viewing can be additionally raised or lowered as the display conditions warrant. The mirror has the added benefit of shielding stray overhead lighting of the type encountered in many display environments (i.e. storefront windows and tradeshow floors).

The third display fixture we have designed at Laser Reflections is something we call the DispLase. The DispLase showcases an underutilized characteristic of holographics: namely the ability to turn on and off as the function of an oscillating light source. The DispLase features a holograph (in front) and a real product (behind) with two 12V halogen lights built into (and concealed by) a platform supporting both the image and the product. As the lights oscillate, the viewer sees first the image and then the product. When we are approached to do “product shots” (holographic images of shoes, watches, soda cans, etc) we steer the customer towards the DispLase. The real product invariably looks better than the holographic image would of said same (it’s true colored and viewable from all angles) - and the holographic portrait serves to complement the product giving it a seamless, silent and very effective endorsement.