Radiant Human: Aura Photography

Aura photography. It’s weird, it’s awesome. Let’s talk about it. Essentially, when a photographer shoots with an electromagnetic camera they’re able to pick up your vibrational frequencies and reveal your “true colors.” The colors printed correlate with a whole lot of metaphysical symbolism and are fascinating to say the least.

We’re all about it. Auras don’t lie, people! Or do they? We’re not sure, but we know we need a sitting with Radiant Human stat. Here are all the details from our gal Alexa at Super Food Super Life. Check her out for serious wellness info and more interviews like these…

Christina Lonsdale is an aura photographer. Yes, you heard me right. She also goes by the name Radiant Human. She was one of the vendors at Mercado Sagrado and had a huge dome-like structure standing in the middle of the fair. When I approached the dome to ask how long the line was to have one’s photo taken, the woman scribbling names into a notebook kindly told me it would be about an hour wait. What was all the fuss? Each person in line had their aura polaroid taken and a private reading with Christina about what the colors in our polaroid signify. I’d learned a little about aura photography from Carlo Van Do Roer’s “Portrait Machine.” The colors were strikingly beautiful. I questioned my need to believe in the science of the craft for me to appreciate the end result and decided to interview Christina for more.

Super Food Super Life: Where are you from and when did you start taking pictures?

Radiant Human: My parents met because of a goat named Foxy Lady on a commune in Northern New Mexico that my dad started in the 1960s and that pretty much set the tone for my existence. I was born in New Mexico and by junior high I moved to Southern California and lived near the beach for about 20 years.

Photography is relatively new to me. My creative process has always been conceptual, letting the message dictate the medium. My friends and my sister have been invaluable resources in this project.

SFSL: When do you first hear about auras?

RH: I remember reading Barbra Brennan’s Hands of Light when I was 14 and I was like, “WTF! This chick is a physicist!??” I was at a time in my life when I was really pushing back on a lot of the New Age stuff my parents were into and questioning everything. Brennan explained the energy field in a clean academic way that totally spoke to me. I really loved that she was addressing these really unconventional out-there concepts in a very grounded logical way.

SFSL: When we met you told me a lot about the color red and its significance. Could you tell us more about that?

RH: I grew up around a lot of spiritual narcissism and it made me very sensitive to the implied hierarchy of the chakras and the connotation of surrounding color. When some people get red auras they get worried like they did something wrong, like they’re not a good person unless they get this perfect violet white. But let me tell you something: color is a frequency, its like a musical note. Just because one note is on the “bottom” of a keyboard doesn’t make it less valuable. The cool thing about red is that its always strong no matter what. It’s an access point to what drives us physically. Red was the first color we defined in our linguistic history and also the first color we painted with in the caves so long ago. Because of this, red can be considered a birth color; new beginnings. With new change comes strength and courage, and not without some challenge, as all you mothers well know. There is passion and desire to see you through, standing on a foundation of practicality and logic. This is a physical and energetic color that is full of powerful sensations, and when you have low muddy red, that just means you probably have a hangover.

SFSL: How does your aura camera work and did you build it?

RH: The Aura Camera was invented by a lovely man named Guy Coggins and has been handbuilt since the 1970s. The camera uses electromagnetic hand sensors that translate your vibrational frequency to a colors vibrational frequency and then displays that color through a second exposure on an instant polaroid photo.

SFSL: How would you explain an aura to someone who does not know what you are talking about?

RH: Every living thing has energy running through it, but what most people don’t know is that this energy radiates past our skin’s surface, creating an energetic field most commonly called an aura.

SFSL: What colors do you typically get when you get your picture taken?

RH: I’ve been getting a lot of purple on top with red down below. I call it my Rothko.

SFSL: Who is your dream person to photograph?

RH: I just photographed my grandmother and that was really special to me.

SFSL: Where is your sanctuary?

RH: Griffith Observatory, The Huntington Library and anywhere with water and green living things.

SFSL: Who are other artists that inspire you?

RH: James Turrell gets me every time.

SFSL: What are your top tips for starting a business?

RH: Just do something that gets you excited, always push yourself to do better, and don’t let fear or laziness make decisions for you.

SFSL: What is your daily mantra?

RH: Discipline relieves stress.