“It was as if you were floating in warm soft clouds…The cloud in which you float is swept by rays of light in shapes and hues that are constantly changing…This is where you belong. This is Home…Most importantly you are not alone. With you, beside you…They are exactly like you, they are you, and like you, they are Home…You are in perfect balance because you are where you belong. You are Home.”
These words from Chapter 8 of Robert Monroe’s book, Journeys Out of the Body, struck a powerful chord in me. As I read them, an image immediately flashed into my mind. I envisioned a peaceful blue sky filled with soft clouds, a person resting serenely atop each one, and varied rays of colored light sweeping across the entire scene.
Driven by that immediate spark of inspiration, I set out the very next day to bring this vision of “Home” into the physical world.
Visualizing Heaven
In the final image, you can see how these simple materials transformed into a tranquil, otherworldly landscape. The HO scale figures are nestled deeply into the pillowy peaks and valleys of the stiffened cotton clouds. They lie on their backs with their hands behind their heads or resting at their sides, completely relaxed and at peace.
The light from the tracing pad radiates from behind the clouds, casting a soft, heavenly bloom that washes over the top of the frame. By shooting directly through a piece of iridescent cellophane, delicate bands of pink, violet, and pale green light cut across the figures and textures. It captures that feeling of being surrounded by constantly changing shapes and hues, showing that these souls are in perfect balance and are not alone.
The Materials and Process
To build this ethereal landscape from scratch, I took a trip to the Dollar Tree and gathered some everyday items:
- The Clouds: I picked up cotton balls and Mod Podge fabric stiffener. Back in the studio, I pulled out a silicone cloud cake mold that I had purchased years ago but never found a use for until now. I pulled apart the cotton balls, layered them carefully into the curves of the mold, and painted them with the stiffener.
- The Inhabitants: While the clouds were drying, I went through my collection of HO scale train figures. I hunted for as many figures as I could find that were posed laying flat on their backs, perfectly matching the weightless posture of Monroe’s description.
- The Atmosphere: The next day, once the clouds were dry and unmolded, I arranged them directly on top of a light pad made for tracing. I set the pad to a warm tone to mimic that inviting, comforting glow. I then placed the sleeping figures onto their individual cloud puffs and set a piece of light blue scrapbook paper in the background to serve as the sky.
Technical Specifications
To achieve this look I went with my current go to.
- Camera: Canon EOS Rebel 6D Mark II
- Lens: Venus Optics Laowa 15mm f/4 Wide-Angle Macro Lens
- Filter: An attached Circular Polarizing Filter (CPL)
As mentioned I shot the scene directly through a piece of pinkish iridescent cellophane held in front of the lens. The circular polarizing filter helped control the intense glare from the tracing pad while beautifully managing the shifting color shifts from the cellophane, casting soft, dreamlike rays across the miniature sky.
The resulting image aims to feel like a direct window into that subconscious state of perfect balance and belonging.
Over to You
Have you ever read a passage in a book that instantly forced an image into your mind? How do you visualize the concept of “Home” or perfect balance in your own creative work?
If you have any questions about working with HO scale figures, shooting through cellophane for custom lens effects, or translating literature into photography, drop a comment below. Let’s discuss.
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