8 Responses to “Light Painting”

1. Steve Sieren
   September 28th, 2011 @ 8:06 am

   Richard,

   Light painting brings out some of the best traits a photography can carry, creativity and enjoyment. The easier the idea the easier the execution was. I’ve been told by other biasd photographers that there are only certain ways of light painting, I find that idea too limiting and it only steals all the fun out of it! In light painting you become the source of light. Then you get an idea and begin to wonder how much “fun” it could be putting it together.

2. David Leland Hyde
   September 28th, 2011 @ 9:33 am

   I like your images of Joshua Tree and many of the other desert photos too. I especially like what you did with the footprints and Kelso Dunes. My father and many other photographers have spent much time and effort avoiding footprints. With your image you incorporate them in an artistic way. The days of pristine landscapes without any trace of man are dwindling and besides, I like keeping the human impacts in the image. Many times it makes for a stronger photograph. The other concern when photographing in a place like Joshua Tree are ET’s. You have to watch out for them. They jump right into your photo. I can see that is clearly what happened in the image above. The ET created a nice effect though. Way to get it on film. Tee hee.

3. Jim Goldstein
   September 28th, 2011 @ 10:36 am

   Cool shot Richard. Light painting really opens doors creatively. Rather than be reactive to the light as is normally the case in nature photography, you get to take on a proactive role. That generates a lot of opportunity to create. I find light painting is a lot like doodles. You start out with an idea and it looks neat, but after several iterations it slowly becomes more complete. I hope you had a fun time and avoided being stuck by a cactus in the dark.

4. Richard Wong
   September 28th, 2011 @ 12:32 pm

   Thanks guys.

   Steve – not sure what those other opinions on light painting are but guys like you, Michael Frye and Troy Paiva make really great use of different techniques.

   David – I think most nature photographers get into it for the purpose of getting away from man-made creations but that is a good point about the difficulty of getting away from signs of man so I make do with what is there. Kelso Dunes is more than 50 miles away from the nearest city and there are still a lot of people that go there.

   Jim – I made it out just fine with any injuries. I don’t think there was any cactus where we were though it was hard to tell to be honest.

5. Mark
   October 2nd, 2011 @ 5:53 am

   Richard, you know it is illegal to discharge your ray gun at our national park’s treasures right?

6. Richard Wong
   October 2nd, 2011 @ 4:59 pm

   I’ll try to keep that in mind for next time, Mark.

7. Steve Sieren
   October 6th, 2011 @ 2:40 am

   Richard, odd to see me in that group of 3 you’re mentioning. They are 2 guys that inspired me most.

   Some opinions were don’t use colored gels or it’s too artificial looking. Stuff to ignore if you’re experimenting with light.

8. Richard Wong
   October 6th, 2011 @ 9:30 am

   That’s a funny opinion for photographers to have because the whole reason for using colored lights is to make it surreal. It’s not supposed to look natural. No one in their right mind would think this is what JTNP is supposed to look like at night.

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