I named this lightpainting technique the "tilt and pan" after a suggestion by @lacelight (Thanks pal!) It literally is a case of tilting the camera and panning the light beam to create a trail.
The trouble with lightpainting for me is that when you come up with a good idea you think might not have been done before, someone else has always invariably beat me to it! It can be really frustrating to see a good idea in your mind's eye only to find it's been done!!
So this time, I'm not sure if I've seen this tilt and pan anywhere else or certainly if anyone else has done it, they certainly didn't make it with the technique I was using!
Loxley Tilt and Pan
We travelled to our favourite abandoned factory in Loxley near Sheffield and arrived a little early. At this time of year in the UK, the clocks have sprung forward and it's getting increasingly late at night before I can practice my dark art!
I lined up @neilru75 on the lower left hand third in the frame and tilted the camera being sure to work out where the flashlight beam travels in the frame by panning the camera to the left.
Once happy, I lit a smoke pellet and threw it behind Neil to create seperation from the background and Neil's silhouette.
We had to wait a little while for the smoke to clear before Neil lit up the flashlight and I simultaneously panned the camera across.
This was shot in one photographic exposure as usual but on this occasion it did take quite a few attempts!
Torksey Bridge Nights
I've employed this tilt and pan technique with varying degrees of success. Here I found the mist hanging in the air created an unexpected haze lit by the flashlight which wasn't too bad!
Torksey Bridge Light Wafting
Further experiments with the pan and here I used a home made RGB light stick which was gently wafted up and down whilst I panned the camera.
Laser in the Wood
This was one of the first times I ever tried this technique. The trick is to not pan over too far and prevent any further light from hitting the sensor by replacing the lens cap. Very tricky to get right and here I got lucky!
One foggy night in Padley
You don't get many nights like this in Padley Gorge, Derbyshire. @fadetoblack and I collaborated on this shot with Tim stood holding the flashlight aloft on a strobe mode. We were both like giddy kippers all night with the amount of fog making every shot a masterpiece!
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.
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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.
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Great shots. I tried camera tilt and pan some years ago. I used the technique in combination with rotation of city lights in Berlin. Most results were not that great. Till now I don't came up with the idea to use it with one single light. Thanks for sharing mate.
Thanks pal, it's probably better to think of LP as evolution in that we may have unwittingly seen something before and without realising it we come up with an idea that feels unique. Then some Neanderthal from the USA comes along who has done it before!! haha
🤣
Fantastic original images created there buddy, will have to look into giving this a go myself, worth a try at using in a different way, somehow? 👍😁
Cheers pal, this technique is better with an aperture changing lens. Shoot the first part wider open then stop down for the pan otherwise you'll end up with the torch beam polluting the rest of the scene. It's trial and error as usual!
Thanks for the tip Chris, will save me some valuable time. 👍