Michael Hill Photography

Circular Light Photos

One-of-a-kind circular light art prints by Michael Hill

Shop Wall Art About the Work Press Resources
A Circular Light photograph by Michael Hill: concentric blue and pink rings glowing inward to a bright orange center

Group Exhibition, Summer 2026

Olson-Larsen Galleries, West Des Moines

Nine Circular Light works appear in In the Abstract, a seven-artist group exhibition on view July 31 through September 26, 2026. RSVP for the opening or request a private preview.

RSVP for Opening Request a Preview

Selected Gallery Activity

  • Olson-Larsen Galleries, West Des Moines (In the Abstract, seven-artist group exhibition, July 31 through September 26, 2026)
  • Moberg Gallery, Des Moines (past corporate program placement)

About the Work

I began making these Circular Light Photos in my studio in January of 2026. To create them, I use glow-in-the-dark powder that’s set in motion and captured through a long exposure.

Each photo is unique, with its own placement of items, platter spin rate, charge time, variable focus, and exposure. Experimentation, and subsequent obsessive repetition, has led to some unexpected and beautiful combinations. Not a bad combo.

See the Process

Two short studio films show how a Circular Light exposure is built, then prepared for print.

Inside the Studio

For the technical end of things, I use a Nikon Z8 to capture these images. The resolution is set to maximum, so I get a 45.7 megapixel RAW file straight out of camera, shot with a NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S. From there, I edit in Lightroom and apply its Super Resolution on each file, which brings the final image up to roughly 11,000 x 11,000 pixels at around 46 MB. That's a little over 119 megapixels, so more than enough to print these large. For printing, I deliver vibrant 16-bit sRGB TIF files that range in size from 100-950 mb.

I have a lot of fun making these. I hope you enjoy them, and thank you for taking a look.

-Mike

Charged material spinning in the dark studio.
Michael Hill's darkened studio with a Nikon camera above the turntable and a Circular Light photograph on the editing monitor
The camera, turntable, lighting, and editing station.
Four containers placed over a blue and orange Circular Light exposure Eight containers arranged diagonally over a blue, violet, and pink Circular Light exposure Five containers placed over a yellow, orange, pink, and green Circular Light exposure

About the Photographs

What are Circular Light Photos?

They're long-exposure photographs of glow-in-the-dark powder in motion. I charge the powder under a light source, set it spinning on a turntable, then open the shutter in the dark and let it do its thing. Each one is a single exposure, no compositing, no digital effects.

Is every photo unique?

Yes. Placement, spin rate, charge time, focus, and exposure length vary from frame to frame. Even if I tried to recreate one exactly, I could not.

Are these photographs or digital art?

Photographs. Everything you see happened in front of a camera lens in a dark room. The colors, shapes, and light are real, captured, not generated.

For Press, Galleries, and Buyers

Press Kit

Verified show facts, bio, artist statement, CV, artist quotes, and five selected preview images with publication-file instructions. PDF, 8 pages.

Download Press Kit

Corporate Art Brief

For art consultants, designers, hospitality, and healthcare. Verified works, current formats and sizes, installation concepts, and project contact. PDF, 2 pages.

Download Corporate Brief

Direct Contact

Studio inquiries, gallery submissions, and trade questions go directly to Michael. Replies usually within one business day.