Light Streaks

[Blank Page]

Now that the season's over, I can get back to photography.

Two nights ago, I took some shots of lights by sweeping the camera around with the shutter open. These are a couple of favourites out of the bunch. They're not typical photographs, but I'd like to get other people's impressions/opinions of them here. Thanks.

[coupekid]

Re: Light Streaks

Now that the season's over, I can get back to photography.

Two nights ago, I took some shots of lights by sweeping the camera around with the shutter open. These are a couple of favourites out of the bunch. They're not typical photographs, but I'd like to get other people's impressions/opinions of them here. Thanks.

Hi blank page,being open and honest with you, they are a little to random for my liking. I was expecting to see something like the attached. Have you had a go at this sort of long exposure photography?

[Pops]

Re: Light Streaks

Sorry but I don't see a photograph at all. It looks a bit like a young childs crayoning attempts.

[Tinka]

Re: Light Streaks

Hi Blank Page,
I like your thinking and attempt at this type of image creation, these images are a bit random, why not try writing your name or createing a pattern, and/or even useing multiple exposures, a nice try as the first attempt.
Good luck

[Patrick]

Re: Light Streaks

Now that the season's over, I can get back to photography.

Two nights ago, I took some shots of lights by sweeping the camera around with the shutter open. These are a couple of favourites out of the bunch. They're not typical photographs, but I'd like to get other people's impressions/opinions of them here. Thanks.

I think I rather like this, well the first one works best I think, difficult to put my finger on it and say why.

This is a similar technique I used a few years ago taking portraits, I paned the camera very fast across my subject while making the exposure. Here is one. I think I posted this about a year ago on the forum.


Patrick

[Blank Page]

Re: Light Streaks

Coupekid,

I swept the camera indiscriminately across some Christmas lights, street lights, etc., trying different motions to see what I would get, so random would describe the results pretty accurately. I agree that there's not much to them compositionally, but I kind of liked the feel of them, especially the blue lights in the first one.

I haven't tried any long exposures from a tripod yet, but I have a couple of locations picked out for it. One of these days...

Pops,

Point taken and agreed with, but it's still fun to doodle with crayons once in a while, eh?

Tinka,

Thanks. Like I said above, they were experimental, and if I do it again, I'll put more thought into them. I do remember seeing a photograph of Picasso writing his name (or sketching?) with a flashlight. The longest exposure my little pointy-shooty has is four seconds so there's a limit to what I can do with that.

Patrick,

I never would have thought it would work with a portrait, but I like that image. I tried to imagine it without the panning, and the blurriness really does add something. It looks like you stayed on her for part of the exposure before panning the camera.

(If I can turn the critiquing tables on you...In my mind's eye, I thought it would look better without the grain. It seems to go against the soft texture of her skin and the fur, though it's certainly a striking image as is.)

Thanks for the comments, everyone.

[Autumn]

Re: Light Streaks

Sorry BP they don't do a lot for me - looks a bit like my moon.

But for some reason I just love the image Patrick attached. I have never tried panning, so I will have a go sometime.

[Guest]

Re: Light Streaks

You might like to try the following experiment which I used in the days of film,!! :-

Hang small pocket torch by either one or two strings from the ceiling and cover the lens with a coloured gelatine. Place the camera lens facing up towards the torch. Set torch (switched on !) swinging in random elliptical movements then open the camera shutter on either a long time exposure or on 'bulb'. You can vary the two lengths of the strings, coloured gelatines, multiple exposures etc, to get some varied: results and with digital cameras you can at least see your results immediately to know wether you have got something interesting.

[Patrick]

Re: Light Streaks

You might like to try the following experiment which I used in the days of film,!! :-

Hang small pocket torch by either one or two strings from the ceiling and cover the lens with a coloured gelatine. Place the camera lens facing up towards the torch. Set torch (switched on !) swinging in random elliptical movements then open the camera shutter on either a long time exposure or on 'bulb'. You can vary the two lengths of the strings, coloured gelatines, multiple exposures etc, to get some varied: results and with digital cameras you can at least see your results immediately to know wether you have got something interesting.

That takes me back; I think most of us old timers have had a go at that sort of thing at one time or another.

Patrick

[Stephen]

Re: Light Streaks

That takes me back; I think most of us old timers have had a go at that sort of thing at one time or another.

Patrick

Mine seemed to always come out rather naff Patrick and then the whole concept became rather cliched, think they were known as photograms iirc

[Stephen]

Re: Light Streaks

Here are a couple of shots I took in Leeds before Christmas, using the movement principle. The first one was with the camera on a tripod, and the second one I tried to pan the bus, not perfect, but a fairly pleasing result.

[lumix]

Re: Light Streaks

Mine seemed to always come out rather naff Patrick and then the whole concept became rather cliched, think they were known as photograms iirc

Do you remember the old cyberchrome paper for printing from transparencies? I once put a sheet under the enlarger and with a small whole in a peace of black card used it to control the light down on to the paper. By dialing in different filtration in the enlarger head I got some real beauty's. Even signed it at the bottom. The things you do for something new is amazing.

[Pops]

Re: Light Streaks

I guess everyone has played around with light at some time or another.
I was messing around with a torch some time back and got this...

[Blank Page]

Re: Light Streaks

Here are a couple of shots I took in Leeds before Christmas, using the movement principle. The first one was with the camera on a tripod, and the second one I tried to pan the bus, not perfect, but a fairly pleasing result.

Nice shots, Stephen. I notice they were taken before it was completely dark, at twilight maybe, which shows off the street and buildings better. That's a nice touch that I'll have to remember.