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Author Topic: Painting with light  (Read 24436 times)

GeekMark

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Painting with light
« on: August 30, 2013, 07:03:16 am »

Hi guys.
I've been taking photos for some time now, and I've decided it's time to try something new and different. I am a big fan of painting with light technique..but I've never done it myself. Anyone out there who was tried it and has some advice for me?  ;D
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Rob C

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #1 on: August 30, 2013, 11:34:09 am »

My experience of it?

You hang up a jet engine, erect a 4x5 camera, stick in a slowish film and then wave a hand-held flood lamp at the hunk of various metals for about 90secs depending on available light. (Avoid a sunny workshop.)

You then develop by inspection in a dish or a black, hard-rubber tank, stick the dried film or plate into a Durst 138S Laborator and make your print.

Much nicer black/whites than you'll ever get from a computer and an Epson/HP. Oh - you are also obliged to use real, single-grade papers, by the way.

This is Pre-Golden Age, incidently, so Slobodan will be pleased at my progress...

;-)

Rob C

Peter McLennan

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #2 on: August 30, 2013, 12:12:15 pm »

I was going to start a thread on this topic, called "What flashlight for light painting ?" 

The new breed of high intensity LED flashlights seem ideally suited for this technique.  My limited experience with a single AAA flashlight has been very interesting, but I can see that I need about four stops more light.
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Ken Bennett

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #3 on: August 30, 2013, 02:15:10 pm »

Sometimes when a bunch of staff photogs from around the country get together and have a few, we do this sort of thing in groups....

http://kenbennettphoto.tumblr.com/post/56135879797/light-painting-at-night-elgin-il-june-2013

The LED flashlights are terrific.
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Equipment: a camera and some lenses. https://www.instagram.com/wakeforestphoto/

David Sutton

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #4 on: August 30, 2013, 06:52:05 pm »

If you have to carry stuff by air LED flashlights are more than terrific!
I bought this one to autofocus in the dark and it can do light painting on a long exposure. But this one works well, though when sweeping the foreground you have to be quick as the beam is a little too bright.
There is a good tutorial at Kelby Training here.
I find LED light a little on the cool side, and have to do a local white balance correction, but that is about all.
As a side note, the beam from these flashlights is quite narrow compared to the big generic flashlights you can buy at any hardware or motoring shop, and so you have to work faster to get an even spread of light. From that point of view those larger flashlights have an advantage.
David
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wmchauncey

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2013, 09:20:00 am »

I ran into this guy at a show recently and spent some time with him as I like some, but not all, of his work...http://jddennison.com/
He uses common high power flashlights and lanterns like this...http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-4351-700-Led-Rechargeable/dp/B00168VZ86/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1380364930&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=coleman+high+lumen+halogen+flashlights
Don't have a clue what it would look like without the Photoshop inversion process.
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displayonacrylic

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #6 on: November 28, 2013, 08:11:19 pm »

Hi,

Paiting and light technique? So you are talking about led light panel? to illuminate the paiting?

Hi guys.
I've been taking photos for some time now, and I've decided it's time to try something new and different. I am a big fan of painting with light technique..but I've never done it myself. Anyone out there who was tried it and has some advice for me?  ;D
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Kind regards,
Judeon

bill t.

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2014, 06:58:57 pm »

Everything you need to know about light painting, right here:

http://www.haroldrossfineart.com
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Justan

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2014, 11:23:01 pm »

^seriously good work.

bill t.

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2014, 11:43:28 pm »

^seriously good work.

That stuff has been bothering me for a while.  I don't really know what to think about it.  Nice to look at.  I bet it could sell really well in the right venue and right subject, but not just any venue and any subject.  Does it reduce photography to an interpretation of itself, much like painting?  Dunno, seriously mixed feelings.  I think I would feel uncomfortable somehow about showing images like that.  The technique is certainly seductive, I will definitely have to work that out of my system at some point with a few pieces.  Used to be a motion control consultant for Aaron Jones, who is the founder of that genre.  I even wrote some special software to embody wand work within motion control shots.  Hi Aaron, I know you're out there!
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Justan

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #10 on: January 08, 2014, 09:13:44 am »

Quote
I don't really know what to think about it.  Nice to look at.  I bet it could sell really well in the right venue and right subject, but not just any venue and any subject. 

An interesting comment. It is a clear genre of presentation and one not often used in photography. It is perfect for still life work and you can’t help but think about things your grandparents had and did while looking at that kind of thing.

The artist’s presentation was to choose subjects which are largely dusty and old, with some obvious exceptions that aren’t dusty but have smudged surfaces, such as the grapes in one still life. The foto detail completes the package. In contrast, the image on the page that you linked (above) is the exception and it shows a different kind of subject (the tree at night) using what I guess is a similar lighting technique. That comes across very differently than the other subjects in the series, mostly because of the highly reflective foliage, and the greater detail in the bark.

In terms of art history the work shows shades of Johannes Vermeer and other 17th century Dutch “Golden Age” painters, but the works by Harold Ross don’t go as far into abstraction as did Vermeer’s. The Golden Age works probably where the first to use the equivalent of a dense gauze filter through which works are viewed along with bear claw or raking light. As an aside on that point, the Golden Age opened the door to later and increasingly abstract takes on classic subjects.

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Does it reduce photography to an interpretation of itself, much like painting?
 

That is as good a summary as there is, but I don’t think it a reduction so much as a form or plan, or again genre of expression used in conjunction with muted subjects.

Quote
I think I would feel uncomfortable somehow about showing images like that.  The technique is certainly seductive, I will definitely have to work that out of my system at some point with a few pieces.

It is not so far from printing works on canvas with the goal of softening the final image to looking akin to a painting, but the difference is that the artist had full control of very soft light, and this isn’t often found in outdoor landscapes, except perhaps in shaded meadows. IIRC you showed a work here about a year ago of the inside of an old and presumably abandoned building that hints at that kind of treatment.

Quote
Used to be a motion control consultant for Aaron Jones, who is the founder of that genre.

http://aaronjonesphoto.com/

Some of his works are very similar to those by Harold Ross but Mr. Jones employs on occasion some very reflective and highly saturated elements to the work, which makes a dramatic change, and more dramatic presentation, imo. The motion video elements at the site are pretty cool! It must feel great to see the impact of your skills in other people’s work.

As an aside, at my show last weekend, someone who bought one of my works said he was gonna do a painting based on it. I was amazed and highly honored that someone would make interpretations of one of my works!

And now, GeekMark and you have passed this obsession to me and no doubt others. . .

Peter McLennan

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2014, 01:33:32 pm »

I love this technique, although I've nearly zero experience shooting it. 

Soft light is notoriously difficult to control, yet provides pleasing visuals.  Hard light is much easier to control, yet some don't like its inherent contrasty look.  This technique seems to allow the best of both worlds - a new and appealing visual meme.  (Oh, crap.  I said "meme")

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wmchauncey

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #12 on: January 30, 2014, 07:50:46 pm »

This fellow has an interesting technique that works only sometimes.... http://jddennison.com/           ;)
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wolfnowl

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2014, 01:36:57 am »

It's interesting, but I wonder about: "JD is the first photographer to do “inverse” photography, where you invert the shot. Inversion flips the tonality so that black is white and white is black, as well as reversing the color wheel. This technique is unique to JD’s work." 

Mostly because of all of those thousands of film negatives I have stored away.  Maybe he invented solarizing too?  Okay, now I'm being nasty.  Bad, bad...

Mike.
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EduPerez

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2014, 07:54:03 am »

After wandering around JD's site for a while, I came to the sad conclusion that he has some mental issues...
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wmchauncey

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #15 on: January 31, 2014, 01:34:25 pm »

I met him at a local Art Show and struck up a conversation about his technique, which is interesting, as I liked a couple of his images.
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mcbroomf

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #16 on: November 02, 2014, 07:35:03 am »

I remember reading an article about Aaron Jones and his Hosemaster, probably back in the late '80s in Camera or Photo mag I think (a nice thick paper mag that I imported to the US for a while after I moved).  I looked for the magazine a few days ago but think I got rid of my stack years ago.  It would be interesting to re-read as I was fascinated by it, but as a landscape guy had no real use for it at the time.

Many years later and I'm taking photos of abandoned "stuff" and outside in the dark, sometimes with too little ambient.

These are early and some more recent shots I've taken.  
In the 1st there is some light coming in through the doorway and around the edge of the fan, but the back wall, the front of the generator and the floor had to be lit.
I found while processing the 2nd shot that I prefer side light for these kind of photos as it accentuates the texture of the surfaces.  (I initially used a front lit file for the comp but was unhappy with the finished file, then realized I had a side lit file for the front pump)
In the 3rd shot you can see that I like making the light pseudo lit in these photos, and when I do this I light the floor below.  Not at all natural of course but I like the finished version
Last is the most recent shot

Some more in my Lightpainting gallery
http://www.pbase.com/mike_broomfield/lightpainting
« Last Edit: November 02, 2014, 07:52:46 am by mcbroomf »
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wmchauncey

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Re: Painting with light
« Reply #17 on: November 02, 2014, 08:25:56 am »

Quote
After wandering around JD's site for a while, I came to the sad conclusion that he has some mental issues...
Taking into consideration my own medical employment background, his mental condition is in sync with the general population,
which does not indicate my acceptance of the sanity of the general public.  Anyone with this hobby, IMHO, is somewhat off center.      ;D
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