Despite 2021 throwing all sorts of things in my direction; working three jobs, COVID and Brexit, I've still managed to get out in the dark to lightpaint. Lightpainting must be a form of therapy since this art form has definitely kept me sane this year!
These are the favourites from each month:
January - Spinning sparks under a railway bridge
Off to a slow start of the year in January and this was just a quick blast of burning steel wool on a drill and a bit of extra gelled lighting on the stonework to add a another element. The roof of curved brickwork is a work of art!
February - Socially Isolated Selfie
This tunnel in Lincolnshire is disused and full of bats but it also makes a great location for a lightpainter. It's dark inside earlier for late afternoon lightpainting and it's been used by many in the dark before me. Some of the first lightpainting works I ever saw were created in this tunnel. Over the coming Christmas period, I think this place should be on my radar!
This is a uber rare photo of my stood in the tunnel lightpainting myself...
March - A night in a cow shed
I'm pleased to say that the cows were long gone and the lovely aroma had dissipated making this barn suitable to shoot in the dark without needing a respirator.
We found this place completely by accident on our way to another place. We weren't going to pass up on the chance to shoot in an abandoned barn!
April - Coldstones Cut
Another epic location to shoot in is Coldstones Cut in North Yorkshire. It's a bit of a trek to get here and well worth the hike up a steep hill. The Cut consists of a public art sculpture made from 12ft high granite walls, perfect for lightpainting in the dark.
Half way up the Cut is a small "fake" mini roundabout and the circular shape casts a shadow when backlit. I had a brainwave and filled the dark, unexposed space with a vertical pan of light from the continuous light source behind the model. This one worked out better than I imagined it would!
May - Monsal Nights
As the nights here in the UK get shorter, the opportunies to lightpaint get more scarce. I found that as I get older, the harder it has become to stay up till 3am to catch the night. I have often felt hungover after a night out and little sleep!
This was shot in a new location found by 
June - A urbex trip around a digger graveyard
Unfortunately June is the month with the longest nights here in the UK. It's a good month for those that enjoy shooting in daylight but pretty grim for me. I find myself irritable because I haven't been out and shot anything in the dark.
This month I settled for a trip around an abandoned digger graveyard. I would revisit in the dark now but the prospect of a farmer with a shotgun isn't very appealing!
July - Drawing a blank
July was bereft of any photography. I look outside the window at 11pm and think, please go dark! I try to shoot in tunnels or other dark places if possible but this year I drew a blank!
August - Back in the Dark
Lightpainting a hole in the wall is something you won't often hear but that's exactly what I did here. I used two tripods and two lenses all in pre-arranged positions to give the appearance of a lightpainter inside the hole. All shot in one photographic exposure.
September - Spinning a lightpainter
With this shot I started off by shooting the central silhouette then panning the camera across and shoot 4 x figures in focus then turn the focus ring to blur the subject and shoot 4 x out of focus figures. All shot in one photographic exposure, this is not a Photoshop creation.
October - Night of the Donuts
From a top night's faffery in our go to place when it's raining. Combining camera rotation and a Ball of Light tool simultaneously spinning. Or put another way, two fully grown adults stood in the dark counting in time to co-ordinate the spin rate. All shot in one exposure, this is not a Photoshop creation.
November - Laser Beams in the Woods
The choice for "shot of the month" becomes more difficult the darker at night it gets. This was an experimental evening where I pan the camera across the frame to create a kinetic stripe of light. I don't think I've seen anyone else try this before so I kind of feel like a pioneer with this technique. In lightpainting, I've felt like when I get an idea, someone has always beat me to it and done it before! Not this time!
December - Fibre Optic Fridays
In December, I've really been spoilt for choice for "shot of the month" This one edged in front of the others with the response I got on "regular" social media.
This lightpainting shot in the dark in my kitchen involving fibre optic brushes, camera rotation, lens and tripod swaps. All shot in one photographic exposure, this took quite a few attempts to nail and on that basis this shot won this month from just the amount of sheer damned effort to create it!
Having just written this post, I now think I need to do an alternative best of for 2021. Watch this space!
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.
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