In my time as a lightpainting photographer for the last 10 years or more, I have often been accused of being obsessed with fire, especially when used for lightpainting photography. The trouble is, the use of fire can be somewhat dangerous!
When I say dangerous, creating the lightpainting image with fire is hazardous to health, mine and others. And inevitably using fire doesn't always go according to plan!
This is a post of very nearly disastrous images which could so easily have ended in an ER being treated for burns!
I must be stupid?
Take an egg whisk, stuff it full of fine grade steel wool, attach it to a cord and spin around on the spot with the steel wool burning. This must sound like I may need my head examining!
The Trouble with Cheap Fireworks
Every year around October, most of the supermarket chains here in the UK sell small boxes of cheap fireworks. Small and cheap is good for lightpainting since they don't burn for very long. If I'd bought these for a display, I'd have been very disappointed. But for lightpainting purposes, they're perfect.
Unfortunately being apparently a random selection in a box, some of the fireworks creates unpredictable bangs and don't necessairly behave as expected!
This one didn't quite work out as planned but shows the chaos created as the firework burns and bounces off the walls!
Say Cheese
This was one of the first lightpainting sessions with @inksurgeon. He didn't quite know what to expect when I asked him to pose in the frame. I stood behind Rob in the dark and lit a firework attached to a pole and spun with a drill. The loud bangs from the firework could easily have led to Rob needing fresh underwear but credit where it's due and he didn't flinch! Some swear words may have been uttered!
Overdoing it!
Sometimes less is more and here I've loaded too much steel wool in the croc clip attached to a drill. It still amazes me how much trust my fellow lightpainters place in me when I'm stood at the back of the frame trying not to set myself on fire!
Thank Goodness for Centrifugal Force
I always advise people attending lightpainting sessions with me to wear clothing they wouldn't be worried if it were damaged. Here I stood with my arm in the air as high as I could get and spun burning steel wool on a drill with a friend posing without flinching! I'm pleased to say the model here is still a friend and wasn't harmed!
The Shot of the Shot Shot
When a lightpainter turns up to a session with magnesium strips to embed with the steel wool, I immediately distance myself from the person burning said magnesium.
When burnt, magnesium burns white hot and at a much higher temperature than steel wool. It also has a tendency to set fire to the surroundings. Which is not always desirable!
Here instead of shooting the burning steel wool and magensium orb, I decided to shoot the cameras shooting the action. A much safer option!
Gimbal Gone Wrong
Sometimes it's not the fire that causes the trouble but the gear you're shooting it with. Here the gimbal supporting the camera wasn't secure enough and moved during the exposure! It lead to an unexpected result!
The Furry Hoodie within
In collating the images for this post I came across this image shot with @fadetoblack posing in his old faithful furry parka. I used two flashguns and a zoom lens to make the parka appear within the parka etc. I'd like to try this again and I'm still not sure whether the steel wool helped here or not!
The Crystal Ball Shot
Using crystal balls in photography I always found a bit of a cliche and something the Instagram generation might partake in. Imagine my surprise when a lightpainter turned up with one and I fell in to the trap of shooting a crystal ball!
Another example of using magnesium strips mixed with steel wool.....
Combining effects
I shot this one more than 6 or 7 years ago. It was one of the first times I combined techniques and swapped tripods or lenses during a continuous exposure. The lit up graffiti on the walls wasn't in the right place in the building we were stood in so I tripod swapped to make it appear so. I've used this technique quite a bit since.
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/
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.
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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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