Most of the time I'll post a shot I'm happy with here on Hive or social media. The image is usually the result of quite a few test shots where I've worked out how best to shoot something. The shots that appear in public are the ones I'm happy for people to see. What you don't see is the other 99 attempts to get something right!
This is a post of test shots. The work I've done here helps to spawn other ideas I wouldn't have had unless I tried something. And sometimes, you can only think of the idea or gain the flash of inspiration whilst you're practicing.
With lightpainting, I prefer to make it up as I go along. I will turn up to a location to shoot in the dark with the genesis of an idea but I generally see something that sparks another idea and I'll shoot off in completely the opposite direction!
Think of these shots as "R & D" as in research and development.
Bolehill Nights
Here I've used a fractal filter with concrete partition walls seperated by the filter. I like the jaunty angle and the "in your face" lighting. There's just one major flaw in this photo; there is no background seperation behind the model! I had no smoke pellets with which to create the seperation but it's an excuse to return here and re-shoot making use of those concrete walls and a fractal filter.
Electric Monolith
I've been experimenting with kinetic movement in an image. The idea is that I open the shutter and let the image expose a starburst on the sensor then I move the camera and hold for another starburst.
I'm looking for a use or context within which to place this kinetic movement. I think in this image, the stripe doesn't quite fit in it's context or place in the woods. I will eventually find a use for this.
Lighting up Roche Abbey
I've acquired a couple of small RGB LED panels, very useful for lighting up large areas. I placed two of the panels on the floor directly at the bottom of each tower and used a long exposure to light up the abbey. This shot let me know that the explosion in a paint factory approach doesn't always work and I should maybe tone it down a little! After seeing this on the back of my camera I changed the LED panels to a warmer white balance and came away with something far more pleasing.
Condensate
As we emerged from inside an abandoned waterworks to the entrance, I noticed my 20mm lens was condensating all over the place. I managed one shot without any condensation on the lens but the conditions quickly misted my lens over again. I decided to see what would happen with this kinetic stripe with a lens full of mist.
I'm not sure it worked but it lets me know I have another option in another setting.
In your face colour blast
This was a test shot for a kinetic stripe but the lightpainting I did in the test shot turned out way better than expected. Neil here is holding a flashlight turned off and when instructed by me to do so, he turns on the light and I pan the camera. I always tend to take a test shot first before going for the full beans!
The Scale of Fail
In a local abandoned factory is this set of industrial weighing scales. I loved the texture on the inside of what was left of the circular gauge and knew it would look quite nice lit up.
I had originally intended to tripod and lens swap in to the middle of this scale. It worked but due to not having the right lens combinations, I wasn't able to get something completely sharp for both elements.
I've included it in this post as a reminder to go back and reshoot taking pretty much all the lenses I have. Just in case!
Slipfest 22
This is an example of a test shot which informs me where I can go with the next shot. Here I used one colour and decided for the next shot to use blue wafted across the foreground which would fill in the unexposed dark parts of the frame.
Windy Knoll Nights Test Shot
We arrived at this Peak District cave just as the sun was setting. I had an idea for the mouth of the cave where I could rotate a silhouette to create quite an abstract camera rotation shot. Here I was in the process of lining up the model and from this shot I deduced my centre line was too low. On the next one I re-aligned and waited for the night to fall.
Drawing a blank
Sometimes you set up a shot, create the perfect lighting and then drive down a dead end. This is a fairly easy to make image where I re-positioned the lighting a few times and once happy bagged the shot. I was hoping an idea would spark from this but nothing came. I sometimes have to settle for what I get. I also have to remind myself that if something is easy to do, it doesn't mean it's not worth it or less good than the complicated stuff I do.
Also as a side note. Make sure you're model is wearing black for silhouettes!!
Marmite Lightpainting
I got a chance to collaborate with a German lightpainter over in England who just so happened to have a LaserCube. Not believing my luck I quickly attached a fractal filter to see what would happen with a laser lit silhouette and a zoom pull. I wasn't convinced and I'm sure others will like this but it was another example of the information I glean before I move on to the next shot.
Competely messing things up
This is an example where the camera rotation didn't work well at all with a fractal filter but I do really like the "in your face" colour. For the next shot after this I nailed this much better!
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to create art.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/fastchrisuk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fastchris/
Lightpainting is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph, either to illuminate a subject or to shine a point of light directly at the camera, or by moving the camera itself during exposure. Nothing is added or removed in post processing.
If you would like to see more lightpainting please give the Lightpainters United Community a follow and you will be introduced into the illuminating world of light painting!
If you want to see more examples of lightpainting, feel free to check out these guys:
Mafu Fuma | Oddballgraphics | FadetoBlack | DAWN | Mart Barras | Stefan Stepke | Nikolay Trebukhin | Lee Todd | Stabeu Light | Maxime Pateau | Stephen Sampson | lightandlense | Neil Rushby | L.A.C.E.
Join us at Discord
I like it that you've shown all these test shots and talked about each. This helps me learn and gives me ideas. I like several of them, but the last one is my favourite, that splash of colour and abstraction just hooked me in.
Thanks @nineclaws that last one was a bit frustrating where I was using a large remotely controlled RGB LED panel but I had to get really close with my phone to change the colour. This led to me running up and down the tunnel like a fiddler's elbow to adjust the settings and remembering to replace the lens cap each time. The process can force you in to thinking of ways to make life simpler!
You're welcome! Wow, that's far more frustrating that I would have thought to capture that one. Maybe growing extra arms with elastic reach possibilities would be useful if possible, lol.
Roche Abbey is such a highlight! As always soooo many great Light Paintings. 😎
Thanks @lightpainters Roche was also a massive OCD killer with the alignment! The moon was inconveniently placed meaning I had to set up slightly off centre, no good for someone like me! Haha
Well, your suffering is appreciated. When art like this is shared with us, the pain must be divided by the number of people seeing it as the "OCD relieve center" at Hive.
This is a very interesting post. I'm glad that all these mishaps don't just happen to me.