Painting using only flashlights and enhanced in Photoshop.
Painting using only flashlights and enhanced in Photoshop.
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Awards
Zenith Award
Creative Winter Award
Curator's Selection
2020 Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Experimental Light Photo Contest
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Contest Finalist in Playing With Darkness Photo Contest
Mystery Prize
Contest Finalist in Old and Rusty Photo Contest
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Outstanding Creativity
Absolute Masterpiece
Top Choice
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
One Of A Kind
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Behind The Lens
Location
This photo was taken at Nelson Ghost Town in Nelson, NV about an hour from Las Vegas.Time
This photo was taken about 8 pm just shortly after the sun went down. The moon was pretty bright this night so there was a lot of ambient light that I had to take into consideration. An ideal night would have been with a new moon.Lighting
All of the lighting done in this shot was from an BLT-2L Bolt Lithium Powered Flashlight. Before starting to light this image, I did numerous test shots to make sure everything was black without light. I kept the shutter open for 30 seconds while I walked around the image lighting the areas that I wanted starting with the headlights.Equipment
D700 with 24-70mm lens. A tripod is absolutely necessary for a light painting since the shutter is being held open for a long period of time. No flash, only a flash light.Inspiration
I was inspired to take this shot from Dave Black who does Light Paintings. This photo actually came from a workshop that he held. He showed us an example and then let us explore the ghost town to create our own photos. I was also inspired by this shot because my father is a mechanic and used to own a tow truck. When I saw this on the property I knew I had to work with this.Editing
Yes, I did do a little post processing. I did a little dodging and burning to darken some of the spots that got too much light. I also enhanced the headlights. This truck is no longer running. I was about three feet away when I lit up the headlights with my flashlight, this left a slight ghost of myself that I did have to edit out. Lastly, I increased the details a little to really push the old and rusty features.In my camera bag
D700, a few lenses but mostly use my 24-70mm lens, a wired remote trigger, a SB-910 speedlite, my pocket wizards, tripod, flashlight, headlamp, batteries, softbox for speedlite.Feedback
This was actually my first attempt at light painting and I LOVED it. It takes a lot of trial and error but can be super fun. The key is to be creative with what you have. Go scout out the location before it gets dark and get an idea of how you want to create the image. Since you are using a flash light for the lighting you have control over what parts of the image are lit up. It usually take numerous attempts to get everything the way that you want it. You really have to pay attention to the direction that you are pointing your flash light. Too many times I ended up with a ghost of myself or my shadow because I got too close to the light or I put myself in between the light and my camera. There are a lot of aspects to think about when creating a light painting but the results can be amazing.