I was having another trawl through my hard drives to see where I could save some space by deleting the endless rejected or failed images. The shots sit on my hard drive gathering digital dust until I finally get around to culling to save space.
And then I go and find images which I thought would pass muster now but which when I shot them, I passed over or tried again.
This is a post of rejects!!
Getting Kinetic in the fog at Padley Gorge
It's not often we get treated to amazing fog like this but 
This is a kinetic shot where Tim stands stock still for the backlighting then turns on the flashlight just as I start to pan the camera across the frame. For the next shot after this, Tim fired the flashlight on a strobe mode which we both thought looked better. But in hindsight, this ain't half bad either:
Desne strikes a pose
On a shoot I am guilty as charged of the crime of shooting too may versions of the same image. Especially during a photoshoot with a model.
This is the irrepressible Desne striking a pose in a tunnel in the dark with smoke pellets thrown in for atmosphere or a cinematic feel. The last time I was able to throw a pose like this, I was still in short trousers!
Torksey Bridge Wavy Lights and Foggy Nights
Another night of fog over the River Trent on Torksey Bridge in Nottinghamshire. This shot involves the model waving the home made light stick while I pan the camera. I remember not being satisfied with the wavy stuff so we tried again but this on reflection looks ok to me!
A rainy night in Sherwood Forest
Sometimes lightpainters get withdrawal symptons. If the weather is bad, they don't care how bad they just have to get out and shoot in the dark! Or at least that's what happens to me.
This was one such night where just as we had set up the lights in the woods, it started to "insert expletive here" rain! The grain in the shot isn't grain, it's rain! But in hindsight, it looks fine!
The Failed Test Shot
This was a test shot for the nailed shot that came after. As I panned the camera across the frame, I had my aperture set too wide open and the sensor caught the continuous light as a trail. Another one in hindsight doesn't look half bad.
Ray Gun Target Practice
Believe it or not I sometimes have to shoot along in the dark. But the advantage is on my own I can get more creative and obsess over an idea for as long as I like.
For this shot I set up a light stand as a reference point in the frame. I then span a 
I then stumbled back to the light stand and turned on a flashlight attached to the light stand. Then stumbled back to the camera and removed the lens cap while simultaneously panning the camera.
Technically the perspective is correct and I had aligned it perfectly but from a two dimensional point of view it looks slightly off!!
The Dud
Another example of using too large an aperture in a lightpainting image and letting in too much light! Looks OK to me now a few months later....
Firing Out of Focus Electrons
I'm a big fan of swapping lenses during a continuous exposure. This shot involved shooting my own hand with one lens and then swapping to another lens point at a plasma ball. The trouble with this shot was that the plasma ball was out of focus and I must have nudged the manual lens focus ring as I changed lenses.
It's a dud but I like it!
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.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/fastchrisuk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fastchris/
WHAT IS LIGHTPAINTING?
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.
Single exposure Light Art Photography - no layers - no tricks - no photoshop
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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