House of the Western Preacher
Goldfield Church, light painted with a flashlight during a 30 second exposure.
I wore a dark blue jacket and jeans so I would "disappear" fr...
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Goldfield Church, light painted with a flashlight during a 30 second exposure.
I wore a dark blue jacket and jeans so I would "disappear" from the lens while trying to highlight the windows, sides and door. There is a light from a building nearby ( off camera, left ), which was not nearly bright enough, most of the church blended into the night.
Light painting is a lot of fun, it can also be frustrating and time consuming as it takes many exposures through trial and error to create the right effect.
Goldfield is an old mining town East of Phoenix, Arizona, near the Superstition Mountains. It was established in 1893 and mostly deserted by 1926.
It is now a tourist stop and offers Jeep tours, horseback riding and an 1800's style saloon - steakhouse among the historical buildings.
Goldfield, Arizona 2016
- Please click on the image to view on a black background.
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I wore a dark blue jacket and jeans so I would "disappear" from the lens while trying to highlight the windows, sides and door. There is a light from a building nearby ( off camera, left ), which was not nearly bright enough, most of the church blended into the night.
Light painting is a lot of fun, it can also be frustrating and time consuming as it takes many exposures through trial and error to create the right effect.
Goldfield is an old mining town East of Phoenix, Arizona, near the Superstition Mountains. It was established in 1893 and mostly deserted by 1926.
It is now a tourist stop and offers Jeep tours, horseback riding and an 1800's style saloon - steakhouse among the historical buildings.
Goldfield, Arizona 2016
- Please click on the image to view on a black background.
Read less
Jan, 2017Views
1220
Likes
Awards
Contest Finalist in Experimental Light Photo Contest
Peer Choice Award
Peer Award
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
Superior Skill
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
All Star
Genius
Virtuoso
Emotions
Impressed
Top Ranks
Top 30 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 10 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
Platinum
KayBrewer
January 09, 2017
well done, Forrest - got the stars and the old house - very effective photo!
Forrest_Imagery
January 09, 2017
Thank you very much Kay. Your appreciation and comments do not go unnoticed.
Platinum
critique
January 17, 2017
Beautiful lighting/exposure control. Just enough detail showing in the darker areas! Technically masterful work.
wayneslandphotography
January 24, 2017
Beautiful shot of the church! All of mine -like most everyone elses, have been during the day so far.
PRO+
Billyboy
February 12, 2017
Nice how you kept the illumination understated so that we get everything that's important to the mood while nothing detracts from it.
Love the detail in the wood facade and that awesome blue post sunset that gives way to the stars. Great balance of natural and artificial light.
Never attempted light painting myself Forrest, but I can appreciate the art and patience that goes into it seeing your wonderful result.
Fine bit of photography !!
Love the detail in the wood facade and that awesome blue post sunset that gives way to the stars. Great balance of natural and artificial light.
Never attempted light painting myself Forrest, but I can appreciate the art and patience that goes into it seeing your wonderful result.
Fine bit of photography !!
Forrest_Imagery
February 13, 2017
Thank you, for your kind words.
It means a great deal to me coming from an excellent photographer such as yourself, whose works I greatly admire.
I liked this piece when I took it but waited forever to post it because it never " wowed" me.
I never expected the overwhelming responses it has received.
I'm glad so many have enjoyed it, it encourages me attempt another creation similar to it's style in the future.
It means a great deal to me coming from an excellent photographer such as yourself, whose works I greatly admire.
I liked this piece when I took it but waited forever to post it because it never " wowed" me.
I never expected the overwhelming responses it has received.
I'm glad so many have enjoyed it, it encourages me attempt another creation similar to it's style in the future.
AnneDphotography
November 01, 2017
stunning capture , love that you took this at night ... outstanding !
PRO+
Forrest_Imagery
June 24, 2018
Thanks Dave !
I was not aware the image was a finalist until I read your message.Thanks for having a look and letting me know.
I was not aware the image was a finalist until I read your message.Thanks for having a look and letting me know.
PRO
donanzinger
August 26, 2018
Terrific image Forrest. I understand how challenging light painting can be. I once had a job photographing the inside of a chapel after the previous photographer's results were unacceptable. Light painted the interior using a 4x5 camera and shot 2 sheets of film, then briefly turned on the chapel's tungsten accent lighting on the alter and the wall sconces. I then sweated for 2 days waiting to see if the negatives were good! Fortunately got a winning result.
Forrest_Imagery
August 26, 2018
Now that doesn't sound like fun !
That sounds nerve racking, especially with only two sheets !
You can push and pull film, during processing, but only so far; particularly color film. Glad it turned out OK
Thanks for checking out my photo and, taking time to comment with your story. Some people "get" light painting, while others don't.
That sounds nerve racking, especially with only two sheets !
You can push and pull film, during processing, but only so far; particularly color film. Glad it turned out OK
Thanks for checking out my photo and, taking time to comment with your story. Some people "get" light painting, while others don't.
Platinum
DutchTouch
September 26, 2020
I have never tried this technique! It certainly rendered a masterful image! Congrats on your awards Forrest!
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
Some of the info is already contained in my initial photo description, so I'll try to keep it nonrepetitive. Goldfield, Arizona (mining camp). East of Phoenix, ArizonaTime
This image was taken about about 50 minutes after sunset, in the waning blue hour.Lighting
In terms of natural light, there was enough to give the sky a bit of that rich blue color, that's about it. As far as artificial lighting, there was a single bulb about 100 feet away, off camera, left. The bulb gave off enough light to aid in walking around, but did little to aid the camera's exposure.Equipment
I find this heading funny, because in the form to fill this information out , it says " Did you use any equipment ?" Well, duh ! Yes, I used a camera ! Also, It was a long-exposure at night, soooooo... I used a tripod. Camera : Canon EOS Rebel SL1 Lens : Canon 3.5, 18-55mm Tripod : Some off-brand heavy duty tripod with a pistol grip ball head. I really like the accuracy and ease of use of this ball head. Some pistol grips on ball heads are jerky in movement or don't grip well, not this one. Sorry, I don't know the brand name, no label. Test one first, if you can, before you buy. The only other relevant equipment I used, was a flashlight for the lightpainting. I used compact, tactical flashlight that puts out a ton of light for its size. This photo would not have been possible without it. After all, it is a lightpaintingInspiration
To be honest, I've always been a bit envious of other people's lightpainted images of buildings. There is just a completely unique look and feel to a lightpainted photo, that's not able to be duplicated by other means. This partially due to the uneven coverage of light by waving the flashlight around, distance and direction from the subject that produces altering light and shadows as you move around and, the possible color cast of the bulb used. Its all about the inexactitude of the technique, that makes it so appealing to me. In addition, I've long noticed this little church in the middle of nowhere, its historical architecture and tiny size ( it might hold 30 people, tops ) always intrigued me. I've always wanted to take photos of it, I'd just never got around to doing so.Editing
I didn't do much in the way of editing: A slight tweek in curves to bring up contrast and color. Removed a couple pieces of small debris from the foreground with the clone brush. Dodged down a nasty highlight from the white sign by the door. That's it.In my camera bag
My camera is a Canon EOS SL1 with kit lenses Lens # 1) 3.5, 18-55mm macro. Lens #2) 4.0, 100-300mm telephoto. My second camera I always have with me, in the car or elsewhere is a Fuji Finepix pocket camera, which has a pretty decent zoom lens. I can put the Fuji in precarious situations and not much care if it is damaged, (e.g. dangle it over a cliff, highrise or body water ). Camera #3) Cellphone. Filters: circular polarizor, set of ND filters, set of close-up filters. Accessories: cable release, spare camera and flashlight batteries x 2, car and wall chargers, lens cleaning supplies, Misc: Swiss Army knife, ultra compact mylar emergency blanket, lighter, Kleenex, couple tabs of aspirin and Benadryl, Ace bandage, compact emergency mirror, All-in-one, glow-in the dark, emergency whistle / compass / thermometer, permanent marker, paper clips, length of twine, small A- clamp; wool socks and beanie, granola bars, water - I know all these items seem like a lot, but they take up very little room compared to having an adventure turn into complete nightmare.Feedback
Experiment !!! Try and try again. It took well over 30 exposures to get this image, trial and error is the key. Check your exposure after each frame and take mental, or real notes (writing in the dark can be a pain though ) Count down with the camera timer. If you spent 10 seconds on the door and the doorway was too bright, try 5 seconds next time. Frustration can certainly be a factor, don't let that deter you. Lightpainting on small objects can be a lot of fun too, it may seem easier than a covering a whole building, but believe me, it is as equally challenging. Don't delete any photos until you get home and look at them on the computer, you might be surprised at what you find.. Always remember, every shoot is a learning experience and, you are doing this for fun ! Don't get so frustrated and pissed off by a few poor results, that you don't pick up the camera again until next year.
