I Show What Happens When You Zap Exposed Film with Static Electricity (16 Pics)

by Patrick Penrose Published Nov 14, 2025

If you struggle with anxiety, you understand how the constant noise in your head can get in the way of creative work. But can anxiety also bring beauty?

In this self-portrait series, I harness static electricity to create random patterns of light on film. The light is magic, revealing things we can’t see in an ordinary photograph—things like vulnerability, strength, creativity, and inner thoughts. There’s no control over the static, but it’s a powerful tool if you know how to use it.

I have been shooting every day for more than five years. I started in digital, where I created a photo series about my son with autism that later became a book. From there, I moved to film, learning to develop and shoot medium format. About a year ago, I started working in large format film, which is my favorite (this is the kind of camera where you stand under a dark cloth to focus). I shoot 4×5 film every day, usually portraits of my family or self-portraits. I have had my work in several gallery shows around the United States.

I have never seen this photography technique before. Photographers and film companies work hard to avoid static in photos. A couple of years ago, I saw a beautiful photo with an accidental static shock, and I thought it was really interesting that it looked like lightning. I started researching how you could shock film for these stunning pictures with static and decided to try a Wimshurst machine to get double exposures. It took a lot of experimentation, but it worked! I decided to try it because I thought the electric shocks could represent invisible emotions in a photo, and I love to find ways to show emotion in my photography art.

I do plan to continue using this technique to make more interesting photos. I waited to put the work out there until I had done enough to create a series since I knew people would want to know how to do it. I wanted to get my work together before I shared the details. I do not believe in keeping photographic techniques, equipment used, settings, etc. secret. I think knowledge should be shared, and I feel we can each bring our own unique photo ideas (even if we try the same thing as another person). I hope other people will use this technique to create too; the world needs more works of art.

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