A couple of weeks ago I posted an image here of
Turret Arch shot through North Window, and I included a human element to add some scale to the shot and to make it slightly different from the kazillion other images that have been shot at this location.
But I knew that it would take a lot more to create something truly different, so I gave it some serious thought and made a plan. I decided to shoot at night, hope for snow, and use a combination of moonlight and flashlight as I had never seen that before. I thought: night shot + moonlight + stars + snow + flashlight = not very likely to have been shot before.
There was only a very small window (sorry) of time to do this, because I wanted a low moon and it needed to rise at a certain angle or else there would be large shadows of the rocks behind me creeping into the shot. The inside of the arch was lit during part of the exposure with a Surefire Invictus, the flashlight of the gods.
Comments
20 commentsHowever, I've taken some nightscape images using flashlight or flash with gel, and I've received polarized reactions. Many people like them, and there are some who don't, because they think that such light is "impossible" in real wild world.
Ed
It's true that the result is not very natural, but that's not something I'm after when I'm light painting - quite the opposite actually!
Thanks for your feedback - much appreciated.
aF
In fact, I think it's quite wonderful.
I might be tempted to darken the near side wall of rock to give more emphasis to the port hole and the sky, but that's my creative inclination...
I, for one, applaud your approach to the landscape and how you rarely fail to deliver something visually stimulating and harmonious.
A painter has the artistic license to include or exclude what they want from their work, you have surely stamped your unique artistic vision on this beautiful location.
I sympathize with Harry's comment. It doesn't bother me too much though cause ive seen so many light paintings that it's pretty obvious to me how this was done even w/o your notes, so i wouldn't scratch my head for long. I do like his second suggestion though--if you ever try it make sure you get a little more snow on the rocks cause that would be PERFECT
Harry - I shot a version with a hiker and a headlight, but it's a little different. I'll show that one later, but in Man & Nature obviously. It's not quite what you suggested, but there's the combination of moonlight, flashlight and a headlight.
Matt - I'll give your suggestion a try. I think it'll work.
Yes, it's a bit expensive. But the light beam it produces is extremely sharp, it has very little spill and no hotspot. It also has 8 different output settings, which is great for light painting - I don't have to count, I just go for a lower or higher output. At the lowest output it will last over 80 hours, which is nice for illuminating objects during very long night exposures.