During the summer months here in the UK, it doesn't become fully dark till quite late. So on the rare occasions I managed to get out in the dark, I had to account for the zombie like sleep deprived hangover the following day. I'm not as young as I used to be and staying up late till 3am is something I find increasingly difficult to do.
This is a collection of lightpainting works where I braved the hangover and threw caution to the wind. Each one in one way or another I paid for with many cups of coffee!
Rowtor Rocks Rotation
When you get the chance to shoot in a cave in the dark, it would be rude not to do a camera rotation shot.
This is an image shot all in one photographic exposure where the camera is rotated on its lens axis. I used two flashguns sandwiched together with a piece of cardboard between each flash. The flashguns had a red and blue gel on each respectively. I generally reduce the blue gelled flash strength so as not to overpower the red gelled flash.
Saturday Night Mannequin
I may only be a 12 inch high mannequin but I can still throw some shapes!
At the time of year I shot this image it wasn't fully dark till quite late, so I decided to visit my old favourite lime kiln. The kiln is part cave, part man made structure and is dark inside as the light outside begins to fade.
I took along an artist's mannequin and used a 14mm ultrawide angle lens low down to the ground to achieve the perspective trick of making the mannequin appear taller than it actually is.
I shot this wide open at f1.8 to blur the background and used a rotation device to flip the camera 180 degrees.
The Return of the Thing!
This is the first recce shot from a location I've had on my to do list for a while, Ticknall Tramway Tunnel in Derbyshire.
It was daylight when we arrived and hours before it would have been fully dark but this tunnel was unexpectedly dark inside making it possible for a long overdue lightpainting fix!
As always with new locations, I generally don't get the best out of a place until the 2nd visit. For a 1st visit this isn't half bad.
I will be back!
An evening avoiding frisky bullocks!
During a solo lightpainting trip in a cave, my evening was unfortunately cut short by two frisky bullocks at the cave entrance who were suspiciously eyeing up my 12" high mannequin. True story!
Camera rotation in camera with an LED panel used for lighting. No Photoshop and none of that AI funny business.
As the smoke clears....
As the smoke clears, the midges return and head straight for me!
I've visited this tunnel under the Peak District in Derbyshire during the summer months many times before but I don't recall ever seeing this many midges. Millions of them descended upon me, every single one intent in taking a chunk and eating me alive!
Needless to say this was a very quick session in the dark!
Back on the Tools
During the summer months it's rare that I get out in the dark to lightpaint so this was a long overdue trip out in the dark under the Peak District. This is a camera rotation image with @inksurgeon kindly posing in the frame. Here Rob looks very still but in actual fact he was busy fighting off the midges which had descended upon us!
This is a single exposure image where the camera is rotated on the lens axis.
Rockley Engine Tower in the dark
My first visit in the dark to the overgrown Rockley Engine Tower, it wasn't easy to light being surrounded by the green stuff.
Rockley Engine Tower once housed an early 19th century Newcomen atmospheric steam engine for pumping water out of an ironstone mine. The tower is a scheduled ancient monument.
Behind the Scenes
It's slightly bemusing and a little bit annoying when you've carried 10kg or more of expensive camera gear about half a mile from the car only to shoot this with an iPhone.
The phone shot is never going to match the quality of all that expensive camera gear but this did make me think I should have left said expensive camera gear at home!
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in landscape, urbex and artistic model photography. I like to collaborate with other photographers and occasionally shoot outside my comfort zone.
