Gallery / Levitographs.

Levitographs are photos showing people in a state of levitation. You won't find this word in dictionaries: it's a personal invention, as well as 'levitographer' (photographer taking a levitating photo) and 'levitonaut' (person having a levitating photo taken).

There are several techniques for producing this kind of image, and many photographers around the world have experimented with them. You will find a tutorial about Taking levitation photos on this site describing these different techniques. The method we used consists of placing the person on a support which is then erased by computer. We preferred this method because the computer work is reduced and the shot is rather fun : it's not so easy to balance yourself on a stool and give the impression that you're gliding through the air.

All these photos are taken during sessions that are more like a happening than a traditional photo shoot. The sessions are open to the public, so anyone can come and have their photo taken while levitating. After just a few months, word of mouth has spread and over 200 people have taken part in the project. Many photographers from Lyon have also come to the sessions, either to try out the technique, or for the very special atmosphere that characterised these Sunday morning photo sessions. You can see a best-of of the photos taken on the collective's Facebook page.

To find out more :

• Facebook page of the Apesanteur collective.

Some levitography images.

Session atmosphere.

The trick (making).

For those who weren't able to attend one of our sessions and are dying to know how it's done, here are a few clues.