Alum Brian Bartel experiments with long-exposure campus views

Interest in science, technology, and photography inspired one Lawrence University alumnus to look at campus-and the universe-in a different way.

Brian Bartel '97, a passionate science instructor and amateur photographer, developed a fascination with Solarcan, a method of shooting long-exposure photographs and capturing the sun's journey across the sky.

"It's something we take for granted, and I think it really showcases a part of our world that we see every day, but we don't really appreciate," Bartel said.

After graduating from Lawrence with a major in biology, Bartel went on to teach at Appleton West High School for 15 years. He now works for the Appleton Area School District helping teachers implement technology in the classroom.

Bartel also took his passion for science outside the classroom, where he co-hosts a science education podcast, Lab Out Loud.

"Science has always been a hobby as much as a passion for teaching it," Bartel said. "We would meet people along the way who had-I might call them 'science toys'-and so I found the Solarcan along some of my explorations and wanted to try it out."

Solarcan is a product that takes photographers back to basics. The camera itself is comprised of a can, a pinhole, and photosensitive paper. Light enters through the pinhole and is picked up by the paper wrapped around the back of the can.

There are no digital elements or batteries required, but the product allows photographers to capture unique long-exposure shots-a few weeks, a few months, even a year. The resulting photo shows a mirror image of the scene captured.

"There's a little bit of processing," Bartel said. "I have to not only invert the colors, but I have to flip the image as well. And technically, there's not really color to it, but I can add a little color. I try not to go above and beyond what the true image looks like. There's an art in there as well when I do the processing."

Campus landmarks are seen in the Solarcan photos of Brian Bartel '97. (Photo by Danny Damiani)

Regardless of the processing, the lines in the images display how the sun travels across the sky. More bands indicate a longer exposure-more time passed. The lowest point among the bands is the Winter Solstice, while the highest point would be the Summer Solstice.

The first image Bartel took was in his own backyard looking across Reid Golf Course in Appleton. He then moved on to install Solarcans at various locations, including his parents' house in Onalaska, Wisconsin, overlooking the Mississippi River.

Last year, Bartel decided to bring his passion to his alma mater. He met with Doug Martin, associate professor of physics, to help him get a Solarcan set up at Lawrence.

"He was eager to help me out," Bartel said.

Martin connected Bartel with Scott Breyer on the facilities team, and in June 2023, they installed two Solarcans on top of Youngchild Hall overlooking the Fox River. One camera was developed after five months, while the other waited an entire year.

Later that year, additional Solarcans were installed on top of the Music-Drama Center and Memorial Chapel, capturing some of the landmarks of the Lawrence campus, including Kohler Hall and Main Hall. These, along with one of the Youngchild Solarcans, were collected in June 2024.

Bartel, Martin, and Breyer are now exploring additional locations to install the cameras. In addition, Bartel is looking to write a grant within the Appleton Education Foundation to install the Solarcans and capture images with the help of students.

"It's absolutely a learning experience," Bartel said. "I love to show them to people. I think people are amazed when they see, 'This is what the sun looks like.' We know the days are longer in the summer and shorter in the winter, but what does that actually mean? Here's a good way to measure that over time."