{"id":2502,"date":"2013-01-16T11:28:44","date_gmt":"2013-01-16T11:28:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2502"},"modified":"2024-01-22T17:03:52","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T17:03:52","slug":"leeds-photographer-painting-with-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mcfade.co.uk\/blog\/leeds-photographer-painting-with-light\/%20","title":{"rendered":"5 Light Painting Shots"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"_MG_3233\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Since I wrote an 8-page article for Digital SLR User<\/strong> magazine in 2008, I’ve loved shooting at night. Once the unreliable ambient light has gone, you are in control. Photographers are control freaks….<\/p>\n

Also since then, LED torches have massively improved<\/strong>, to the point where for as little as \u00a350 you can buy a Cree<\/strong> torch which can light an abbey – which is how all the images here were created.<\/p>\n

I bought a CREE with 3 LED “bulbs”<\/strong> and a claimed power of 3800<\/strong> lumens. Always take this number with a pinch of salt – it’s probably never going to be THAT strong, but it is incredibly powerful and has opened an entirely new avenue for the night photographer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Previously, the best solution was to use your flashgun<\/strong> to light subjects – you walk into the scene and mask the flash with your body. Then use the “pilot” button to trigger the flash; lighting what ever you like with a powerful brst of light.<\/p>\n

Torches were only really useful for seeing where you’re going, and maybe light graffiti<\/strong> – like childhood sparklers, using them to write your name!<\/p>\n

With 3000+ lumens, all that has changed.<\/p>\n

Standing by your camera, you can light dark subjects 50-100 meters<\/strong> away. You can also use coloured “gels<\/strong>” – applying greens, yellows, blues etc. to the subject.<\/p>\n

These are all taken in a 30 minute spell at Kirkstall Abbey<\/strong>, just outside Leeds – a pre-gym pit stop!<\/p>\n

1 – The Main Tower (Above)<\/h1>\n

One of the first shots – bare torch at full power, just passed the beam over the dark abbey stone to light it. Even the high tower has detail in the stone!<\/p>\n


\n\"_MG_3257-2\"<\/a>2 – Interior Lighting<\/h1>\n

This shot was again a bare torch pointed into the abbey through a side door. You can see a slash of light where I was stood. Quite spooky shoving your arm through a gate in a dark abbey, but need to do that to spread the light around the place. It gives the\u00a0impression\u00a0that someone’s home….
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\n\"_MG_3260\"<\/a><\/p>\n

3 – Creepy Trees<\/h1>\n

So this one has me hidden behind one of the trees, shining the light from one spot in a hemispherical shape. It creates the light on the grass and that shadow in the foreground<\/a>, and also the sinister look to the inner side of the branches hanging over me head<\/p>\n

\"_MG_3255\"<\/a><\/p>\n

4 – Red & Purple Gels<\/h1>\n

The sky was clear so made the most of the stars – 1 minute exposure doesn’t give much “movement” but makes them bright. The red and purple gels are pretty “thick”, they’d take 3-4 stops of light off a flash. So I’ve never been able to light anything with previous torches. Here we see that they both created some light. It does tail off near the top of the towers – they are pretty dark so would need a longer pass of light<\/a> on future shoots.<\/p>\n

\n\"_MG_3247\"<\/a>5 – Divine Intervention<\/h1>\n

Moving clouds are your friend – we see the orange clouds, from city light pollution, have left a blurred pattern on this shot. They were moving pretty fast, and over the 1-minute exposure created this amazing sky.<\/p>\n

Plain torch was used on the abbey itself, and the foreground had a blue gel.<\/p>\n

Conclusions<\/h1>\n

These torches are pretty amazing really – you can stand with you camera and light most things<\/a> within 100 meters. You can walk into the scene and light individual things. You can work far faster if you like – no need to do 5 minutes of walking around in the dangerous dark, flashing a speedlite.<\/p>\n

Evening’s are dark for a few months, so if you’re looking for inspiration this winter<\/a>, maybe worth getting yourself one and seeing what you can paint.<\/p>\n

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