They are the unique creations of talented professional Johnathan Campbell of Bismarck. Campbell recently completed a week-long stay as “Artist in Residence” at this State Park, which he said he considered to be an honor. Despite the bone chilling cold, he ventured out into the dark of night to pursue his passion – nighttime photography.

“Lenses are equivalent to paint brushes. Cameras are the canvas,” said Campbell while explaining his favorite medium. “You can take a picture of something, a photo, and it becomes art right there.”

Campbell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from the University of North Dakota in 1995. He subsequently worked for more than 10 years preparing fossils for display at the Heritage Center in Bismarck, an endeavor he considered “as much science as it is art.” Currently he is the supervisor of the former governor’s mansion in Bismarck and Fort Hancock in Mandan.

Campbell says it was memories of how much he enjoyed photography as a UND student that lured him back behind a camera lens in 2014. His intent was to document North Dakota insects, but he discovered he wanted to do much more.

Submitted Photo The track of stars in the night sky make for a stunning photograph taken by Johnathan Campbell.

“I stopped bass fishing and was looking for something to fill my time,” explained Campbell. “I bought a digital camera and it just exploded from there. It’s just taken off.”

His talent is readily apparent in his spellbinding and fascinating images. Campbell’s time-lapse nighttime photographs are as revealing as they are appealing. Furthermore, he thoroughly enjoys the creative challenge and the wonderment of the night skies.

“It is just a joy in standing under the stars in the wide open spaces,” remarked Campbell. “It’s like I forget what the town is like. It just brings joy to me to be under the stars.”

Campbell doesn’t just point his camera to the sky and snap a picture or two. He’s much more absorbed than that. It’s not unusual for him to take two to three hours to create a single time-lapse image, even when it means overcoming sub-zero temperatures to do so.

“Part of the reason I’m doing time-lapses and star trails is that it is a technical challenge and an artistic challenge,” explained Campbell. “Is what I’m doing going to be aesthetically pleasing? There’s a lot of thought that goes into it.”

Submitted Photo  Titled “Red Dragon versus the Wizard”, this image was created by Johnathan Campbell using light and hundreds of camera exposures.

Indeed, Campbell’s time-lapse results are pleasing, striking images of a celestial canopy. It is enchanting art. The professionalism put into his photographs is obvious.

“It started as fun and is still fun, but I’ve gone over that edge,” said Campbell, an accepted member of Bismarck’s Downtown Artist Cooperative. “I exhibit my work at shows in Bismarck, Williston, Minot, and the Cando Art Gallery.

While his time-lapse images of scenery and stars are among his favorite creations, Campbell considers his most artistic work to be light painting. It is the use of artificial illumination, such as a light sabre-like wand. An example is his “Red Dragon versus the Wizard,” created in the dark of night.

“It’s hard to imagine. The only way to understand it is to actually do it,” said Campbell. “You have a concept and one chance to do it right. To do a light painting you have to keep track of each element in complete darkness.”

Campbell’s light painting is a wondrous medium that results in photographs that capture the attention of the viewer. It’s not surprising, given Campbell’s approach to each image.

“I take it very seriously. I consider light painting my art,” said Campbell.

(Prairie Profile is a weekly feature profiling interesting people in our region. We welcome suggestions from our readers. Call Regional Editor Eloise Ogden at 857-1944 or call 1-800-735-3229. You also can send email suggestions to eogden@minotdailynews.com.)