Tokyo-based artist Natsumi Hayashi has been photographing herself for a long time, but her photos are not like most other self-portraits. Hayashi has made a name for herself as the levitating girl, and for good reason. Her perfectly timed self-portraits feature her cute self seemingly floating slightly above the ground. Hayashi shares the secret to her levitating photos on her website and blog, and while she describes her artistic process in great detail, we’ll sum it up for you: She jumps while a friend takes a photo of her. Wow, simple as that, and yet the photographs depict very little evidence that she has been jumping. In most cases, her hair and clothing remain unaffected, adding a sense of realism to the photographs. Not too shabby at all, considering the fact that most of the photos we share of floating objects or people have been altered in post-production. Kudos to this bright, young artist who has managed to capture a sense of serenity and whimsicality in her work through practical effects.
