I have almost reached that time where the Photo Book needs to be produced. Only a few weeks left before I submit it for printing.
Am I ready?
Good question, I think the answer to that is probably yes. If not yes, then almost.
I have compiled a number of images, 26 in total (if I use them all), but do I want to use them all?
Am I happy to use them all? I am caught in to minds at the moment. I want to ensure the book represents my best work in light painting, but I also want it to also be a sort of diary of a journey that I have begun, which shows my travel's along an improving path.
My later work is definitely a lot better than my early attempts at light painting and I also believe that the journey hasn't ended.
There is still a lot of ground to cover and I can still continue to improve my technique.
Not only can I still improve my technique, there are also different methods of light painting that I can improve.
I have tried to use several different methods whilst generating images for this book and these include ~
1. Normal vehicle light trails, which are probably the easiest way to light paint.
2. Using Electro luminescent wire to create light trails.
3. Using different types of torch to light either a large scene, or a still life.
I have also tried different methods to construct my image.
The most simple is the single image of car lights trailing a white and red streak across the photograph. This saved as a jpeg with virtually no processing at all.
The next type of processing I have done is again a single image loaded into Photoshop and parts of the image removed and replaced, as per the invisible man. He didn't really have no head or hands !!!!!!
The other type of image that I have processed is an image where I have lit the scene in a series of stages (bits of the scene, one at a time) and then combined them as layers in Photoshop, to produce a single image. This incidentally is Eric Curry's preferred method.
This is also my preferred method, as you have more control over the final image.
Onto the compiled book then.
The above image is of the front cover. I think it's an ideal image for the cover as there is space for the title and author name, as well as having a tongue in cheek representation of the book.
Next up is the half page, again a text page of the title and author.
Following the half page we have the copyright and Contents pages.
Following on from the contents page we have the quote page and foreword.
We then move onto the pages that contain the image title and image. The above image was taken with a large torch and lit all in one go.
This image was a 5 second image taken using a torch, an image taken as single shot.
This image, image no. 3 was taken as several shots, each with a different area of the scene lit separately and combined from layers in Photoshop.
Image 4 is generated using the same technique as with image 2, a 5 second shutter speed single image in a dark room (my kitchen).
Image 5 was a single shot, with the camera set up on a tripod, low down, using the headlights of my car to light the foreground whilst I had a long shutter speed to catch the cars as the travelled past.
Image 6 was completely different, this was taken using two bike wheels, one fitted with white battery operated fairy lights and one fitted with red fairy lights. I then asked to friends of mine to spin them whilst holding them in-front of them, then walking backwards and forwards, as well as sideways. This produced the "Spirograph" effect.
Image 7 was again a slightly different technique. In this one I asked my wife to sign the visitors book of an old church, whilst I held the shutter open. I then asked her to move away and I then lit the foreground with a torch. Having her move away whilst the shutter was open enabled her to become see through and hence I called this photo ghost writer. I thought quite an apt title for a church.
Image 8 was again something different. This one was of my daughter stood as still as she could for over 3 minutes whilst I ran around her with blue electroluminescent wire. This enabled me to produce an outline of her using the wire. A quite effective method and quite simple to produce. quite exhausting though when you are as unfit as I am.......
Image 9 was an image generated in a similar way to the garden shed. It's a number of images stacked and then flattened into one image. Although not one of my better images, I quite like it as I have captured cars travelling past in the background as well as a night time orienteer walking past. The wiggly line is his head torch painting a line as he walked and looked at his map.
Image 10 was again a single, 4 minute image taken using a large torch and my light wheels. I had my daughter assist me with this one. I opened the shutter and had her hold a black piece of card in-front of the lens whilst I turned on the white wheels and spun it. I then had her cover the lens again whilst I turned off the white one and turned on the red one. I then repeated the above step for the red one. After removing the wheels I then lit the tree with the torch.
Quite a satisfying image to produce, this one.
Image 11, I returned to the kitchen set up for this one. I used the electroluminescent wire again, whilst lighting the bottle from below. Again, an alternative method of light painting.
Image 12 was an alternative image to image 4, same method, just wanted to generate a different light trail.
Image 13 was again an image generated with two different colours of electroluminescent wire. For this one I wrapped the wire around the wine bottle to try and create a "Helter skelter" type effect.
Image 14 is entitled "The Invisible Man". For this one I had a friend stand in the middle of a quarry whilst I ran around him with the blue wire. I then lit him with a torch, to create the shadow and detail in his clothing.
I then loaded the file into Photoshop and removed his head and hands with the content aware function. I think this one works very well, and is a fun image.
Image 15, bit of fun this one. I set up the camera in-front of several strands of elwire. I then began to wabble the wire in-front of the lens whilst the shutter was open, hence the different colour trails from the origin point. I think having fun whilst trying to produce these sort of images is important.
For image 16, I returned to the most simple method of light painting. The car head and tail lights method. For this one I stood on a bridge above the motor way. I like this one as not only do you have the normal small vehicle trails but there is a faint line of high level lights on the right hand side from a passing lorry, as well as indicator flashes on the left from cars changing lanes. This image was a single exposure of about 20 seconds.
Image 17 sees a return to the kitchen and the aid of my children in this one. using a laptop and a torch, first my son sat at the table and was lit with a torch, then secondly my daughter. These two images were then layered in Photoshop and ran through several filters to turn it black and white and add texture.
Image 18, entitled "Light Exercise" is of my daughter sat on an exercise bike whilst I lit the living room with torch light. This image was a combination of several images, where my daughter, and various parts of the room were lit in turn then combined from layers in Photoshop.
Image 19 was a combination of a single 30 second image for the scene, lit with a torch, then a standard photograph of the lit candles, layered in Photoshop. I had to do it this way as I wanted sharp candle flames, and just using a single long exposure would have resulted in a blurred mess for flames.
Image 20 sees the return of the light pods, but this time they were placed in at the base of a quarry, the intention here was to try and get a dark enough image to produce good light pods, but light enough to get some detail and colure in the sky. I wanted the floor to be lit by the pods as well.
For the 21st image I used the red and blue elwire to produce what I hoped would look like a sunrise. I focused the camera on the static wire, then proceeded to move the wire up and down in-front of the lens. Entitled morning rise, I think the effect looks quite cool.....
Something a little different again for image 22. I used the spot lights in the roof of an old church to light up the mid ground of the image and a torch to light up the spaces between the pews. A like this shot quite a bit.
Created in the college studio, I assembled a few items on a table to produce the 23rd image. Taken in several stages, i.e. a number of images, then combined in Photoshop from layers, sees the final image entitled, writing "Light" riture, I know, very corny..... come together to form one image with lots of different light sources and shadows created from one torch.
Image 24 was again produced in the college studio. By now, I have decided that the best way to produce these images are from multiple lit images and combined. you have much more control when generated this way.
Image 25 is a night shot with added torch light. Taken very early in the morning before the sun rose, I used the lights of the buildings to light up some of the beach and water, whilst adding some torch light to lighten the waters edge.
Image 26 is one of my best studio produced images, if not the best. I love the colours in this image, the torch light has seemed to produce more vibrant colours, than with standard lighting.
A combination of 13 separate images, I think has produced a lovely rich image.
We now move on to the final pages of the Photobook. Above is the bibliography and index.
Finally an acknowledgments page, for my children as well as other people that have helped me produce some of the images in the book.
Finally the back cover of the book. I chose this because I think it lends itself to the purpose, I also like it.......
As I said at the beginning of this post, I do have a few weeks left, so this book may change slightly, but I think the bulk of the book is complete. An image or two may change, as may some of the words, but I am happy with what's there at the moment, so lets see what my tutor say's and lets go from there!!!!!
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