How do they do that? Painting with light

How did they do this? "Ball of Light" set on Flickr.

I'd like to learn to paint with light. There are some cool old trucks in my yard that would make patient subjects. I sort of know the basics -- long exposure, flashlights with colored gels. But beyond that, does anyone have any tips or resources?

judging by the fact that its a perfect circle, it would have to be something mechanical. Whatever it is it is very cool! He has some sort of mechanical device that helps him achieve it and he wont spill the beans!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biskitb...57622454865956

looking at that one - notice the rock covering the bottom left of it, so it is something stationary that isn't done from behind the camera.

The fact that it appears equally bright on the top as well as the bottom makes me think it may be a device with spinning arms rather than just light projection from a single point.

Case and point on my above statement-- note the top is less perfect, and has a "double" pattern... like say, a pole may have been swinging in the breeze causing the movement of the top light projecting apparatus.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/biskitb...5956/lightbox/

Camera on tripod shutter open under low light. Holding a small flashlight, trace the round pattern around yourself. Then light the surroundings. Close the shutter. I've seen it done by someone who has become pretty good at it.

I dont care how good you are, painting a perfect circle like that by hand with a flashlight is impossible. besides, it has shown itself to be within the scene, and not coming from some outside source.

I don't believe a person could make that perfect of sphere, though, Don. But the rest of the technique is probably the same.

Talked to another hobbiest photog that I work with. He thinks it may be spinning the light from a piece of string. That would make sense since the twirling string could probably intersect the top and bottom more often where the light is most concentrated.

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Originally Posted by Anbesol

I dont care how good you are, painting a perfect circle like that by hand with a flashlight is impossible. besides, it has shown itself to be within the scene, and not coming from some outside source.

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I think Don was saying a person would stand there and "paint" with the flash light, then leave the shot and adjust the lighting for the rest of the exposure as to remove/fade the person from the shot.

Still agree though, a person being able to make that perfect of a sphere is close to impossible.

I was looking around after posting this and saw photos of some of the "tools" the light-painters on Flickr use. One of them had a hula hoop covered in LED lights. I'll bet spinning that could create this "Ball of Light."

Here's the hula hoop I saw. It's a different photographer, but it made me think it could be what Ball of Light dude uses.

Hi There. The wonders of the internet that I can see where views are coming from. And it is nice to see some healthy debate about how the Ball of Light comes to be.

Interesting to read the comment that creating the Ball of Light without a mechanical device would be "impossible".

As I am the tormented person who spends many cold and lonely night out there creating them I assure you that the Ball of Light is created in a single exposure (in raw as well that is viewed by anyone purchasing a print) and uses no mechanical devices whatsoever. Not one pixel is added or removed from the image in PP.

The Ball of Light is the culmination of hundreds of hours (and hundreds errors) of practice and some pretty trick electronics. I would suggest that before being so bold as to suggest something is impossible anyone that doubts go and have a look over the Ball of Light set and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy the work. And the only reason I have posted here is that in asking your initial question you are obviously keen to learn. The responses you have recieved thus far suggest that you cannot achieve the results you see of my work. I assure you that with very little equipment and a remote for your camera you can quite easily achieve what you see.

Have fun,

www.balloflight.com.au

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Originally Posted by Biskitboy

Hi There. The wonders of the internet that I can see where views are coming from. And it is nice to see some healthy debate about how the Ball of Light comes to be.

Interesting to read the comment that creating the Ball of Light without a mechanical device would be "impossible".

As I am the tormented person who spends many cold and lonely night out there creating them I assure you that the Ball of Light is created in a single exposure (in raw as well that is viewed by anyone purchasing a print) and uses no mechanical devices whatsoever. Not one pixel is added or removed from the image in PP.

The Ball of Light is the culmination of hundreds of hours (and hundreds errors) of practice and some pretty trick electronics. I would suggest that before being so bold as to suggest something is impossible anyone that doubts go and have a look over the Ball of Light set and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy the work. And the only reason I have posted here is that in asking your initial question you are obviously keen to learn. The responses you have recieved thus far suggest that you cannot achieve the results you see of my work. I assure you that with very little equipment and a remote for your camera you can quite easily achieve what you see.

Have fun,

www.balloflight.com.au

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Hi Biskitboy,

I want to be sure you know that no one was suggesting this was anything but a single exposure. Our debate was going along whether or not this was digital darkroom trick, but whether a person was the one painting the ball of light, or if "pretty trick electronics" were generating the light pattern (as I said, the one thought my co-worker had was that it could be a light being twirled on a string). I never doubted for a second these were anything but single long exposures.

No matter how they're made, BTW, they are completely and utterly awesome :)

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Originally Posted by CaraRose

Hi Biskitboy,

I want to be sure you know that no one was suggesting this was anything but a single exposure. Our debate was going along whether or not this was digital darkroom trick, but whether a person was the one painting the ball of light, or if "pretty trick electronics" were generating the light pattern (as I said, the one thought my co-worker had was that it could be a light being twirled on a string). I never doubted for a second these were anything but single long exposures.

No matter how they're made, BTW, they are completely and utterly awesome :)

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By pretty trick electronics I mean the actual light source, lots of resistors etc. I am there in the shot creating it. No Photoshop at all! If you look closely at each image, every one is different. There are some who use a frame and arm with LED's on the end to create an orb. It is clear and obvious that tis is the case. I do not use any frames, arms or any other fixed aparatus. The only thing touching the ground are my feet. I just get frustrated when I hear people suggest that what i do is impossible. If we suggested everything we didnt understand was impossible, then no one would try.

I am wrapped that you like the Ball of Light. I mean that sincerely.

Thanks Heaps and have fun!

Makes me wonder what might be done with Christmas lights on various body parts.

Winter is coming....

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Originally Posted by daq7

Makes me wonder what might be done with Christmas lights on various body parts.

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Okay, my mind just totally twisted this... Bad Cara!

Still, while the effect is definitely cool, the people posting these things are all sorts of serious ******bags.

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Originally Posted by CaraRose

Okay, my mind just totally twisted this... Bad Cara!

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Thanks Cara, I needed that laugh!

- Joe U.

The creativity is great and I'm not one to use 'great' lightly.
I'll be looking more closely as time,(the scourge of all learners), allows.

There has always been something strange about people from Adelaide :)
The are nearly as strange as Tasmanians :p
but not quite as strange as New Zealanders :D

whatever your technique your images are striking although I actually think some of them would be better without the ball, and some of them could do with more than 1 ball.

How cool, the "Ball of Light dude" himself showed up! The wonders of the Internet, indeed.

Thanks, Denis, for commenting and adding fuel to the fire. :-) I don't blame you for not wanting to give away your secrets, but you can't blame us for speculating!

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Originally Posted by patia

How cool, the "Ball of Light dude" himself showed up! The wonders of the Internet, indeed.

Thanks, Denis, for commenting and adding fuel to the fire. :-) I don't blame you for not wanting to give away your secrets, but you can't blame us for speculating!

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Thanks Heaps. I love sharing and helping people grow. I just get irked when people use the word impossible. You cant learn and grow if you are told things are impossible.

Have Fun

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Originally Posted by Skyman

There has always been something strange about people from Adelaide :)
The are nearly as strange as Tasmanians :p
but not quite as strange as New Zealanders :D

whatever your technique your images are striking although I actually think some of them would be better without the ball, and some of them could do with more than 1 ball.

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Hey Skyman. I try and find a great location and composition then wait for the Ball of Light to turn up.

I love your comments about strange people form Adelaide. I am actually a Kiwi, who married an adelaide girl, and we hope to live in Tasmaina some day. Classic. Thanks for your comments on the work, Have fun!

I saw something similail to these in an art gallery but not on this grand of a scale. They had used a drill mounted to a vice to spin the light. Multipul exposure. But the ones I saw were silver gels done up nice.

Biskit boy, what you've done in those ball of light exposures was very cool, and the choice for the photography was excellent! I would like to try it out myself. But you won't spill beans on your technique!

Anyway, I am the one who used the word "impossible", and I'm not too pleased at the way you twisted and misinterpreted my words. I only meant that the circles were not drawn by hand, an they obviously aren't. I never suggested it was multiple exposures or a Photoshop trick. I read in your description that it was a single exposure and I believed you. If a person uses a compass to draw a circle, that is a mechanical device, if you used a hula hoop as a tool, that is also a "mechanical device". Though it is "possible" to draw a perfect circle, it is hard enough to consider it "impossible" from a practical standpoint.

So then, can you confirm or deny for us then: were any of the exposures done with a hula hoop?

Hey, Biskitboy! I hope you stick around and join in on the passion in all these forums.
There can never be too many creative ideas.

it's frustrating me trying to figure this out. lol As soon as I think I might know what you do, I see another picture and I throw that theory away.

Great images!

I am pretty sure Patia nailed it on the head when she suggested that he used a hula hoop. The fact that he looked over what everyone said and denied everything else, but ignored that comment seems to indicate such.

The ball of light is a color changing laser pointer on a string. The string is spun while the person rotates in a circle for the duration of the exposure. As long as the length of the string doesn't change the light ball will remain the same diameter. N'est pas?

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Originally Posted by CLKunst

The ball of light is a color changing laser pointer on a string. The string is spun while the person rotates in a circle for the duration of the exposure. As long as the length of the string doesn't change the light ball will remain the same diameter. N'est pas?

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A lazer pointer would leave a long trail. Maybe and LED light but even so, you can see through the ball.

OR LED light changer, the effect is the same. I think it would also depend on how fast it was being spun. I don't know if you can actually see through the ball or wether that's really just another result of the timed exposure and the person swinging the light in the center which would be revealed to the camera at least part of the time while doing the rotation.

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Originally Posted by Anbesol

Biskit boy, what you've done in those ball of light exposures was very cool, and the choice for the photography was excellent! I would like to try it out myself. But you won't spill beans on your technique!

Anyway, I am the one who used the word "impossible", and I'm not too pleased at the way you twisted and misinterpreted my words. I only meant that the circles were not drawn by hand, an they obviously aren't. I never suggested it was multiple exposures or a Photoshop trick. I read in your description that it was a single exposure and I believed you. If a person uses a compass to draw a circle, that is a mechanical device, if you used a hula hoop as a tool, that is also a "mechanical device". Though it is "possible" to draw a perfect circle, it is hard enough to consider it "impossible" from a practical standpoint.

So then, can you confirm or deny for us then: were any of the exposures done with a hula hoop?

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Now I am really perplexed. I didnt twist your words at all. You suggest that the circles arent drawn by hand as that would be impossible. How on earth would you create the Ball of Light with a hulla hoop. I have never owned or used a hulla hoop in my life. And I reiterate my earlier statement that If you actually take the time to look at any of the images I have created none, not one is perfect, by any stretch.

You are very bold in the statements that you make. "not drawn by hand and they obviously arent". Why obviously? I would suggest that you relax with the bold statements and I want to only strengthen my comment from earlier that it is people who suggest that something is impossible that demotivate people from trying things.

The Ball of Light is created in a single exposure using no mechanical devices and not one pixel is added or removed from each image in post production. If you have a look around the groups that I, and other light painters frequent on Flickr you will clearly how this type of work is done.

I don't use a hula hoop A hulla hoop would not produce this type of image.

Have fun, and dont forget, "impossible is nothing"

Den

It wasn't drawn by hand. Not bold, just obvious. You didn't take a flashlight (or any other light) and draw those circles by hand. But whatever, you are obviously not interested in telling how you've done it, you found out a cool idea and you wont share it with anyone because you're some kind of attention whore and god forbid someone else try your technique. I'm not all that impressed that you just keep hiding your "secret" and then you try to suggest you drew those circles by hand. Give me a break, you obviously didn't, the fact that you are drawing this out and trying to act like Yoda with "impossible is nothing" and "you are keen to learn" is quite arrogant. I know you didn't draw those by hand, and the pomposity it takes that you suggest you did, is just gross.

Oh I think a hula hoop WOULD produce the image. Your credibility is shot with me right now, I don't believe you, I think you DID use a hula hoop to create the image. You just don't want anybody to know, so you deny what is obviously the case and then you suggest you drew it by hand.

Guess what: On this forum, whenever somebody creates a cool image, we are all willing to share our technique.

I've lost interest in watching you keep trying to build a mystery, this is just gross and self-serving. Buh-bye.

*edit - by the way, at this point you've given me the impression that your "technique" is quite easy, and the reason you don't want to tell is that you want to accept more credit than what your clever technique is worth.

Gentlemen, gentlemen. Everybody calm down. Denis has a right to not give up his secrets; the rest of us have the right to speculate. Although I generally run out of patience for things like magic tricks and Rubik's Cubes, I think this is rather fun. A mystery -- one we get to try to solve!

I agree that it probably is something very simple and easy; something that would make us bonk ourselves on the forehead as soon as we heard it.

Haha. Sure, he has the right, I also have the right to find his comments and his disposition completely repugnant.

So, if impossible is nothing, lets see you jump 40 vertical feet in the air, impossible is nothing, right?

Patia - I've seen those hula hoop things, and they have the ability to flicker and with different colors and durations and such, the fact that they are the exact same diameter as the "balls of light" in his pics indicates to me thats a pretty accurate hypothesis. Though considering how he doesn't want us to know, he may intentionally veer us off into the wrong path. I mean, he says "no mechanical device" which is a plain lie, probably justified by some distorted definition of the word "mechanical".

OK, I've figured it out. But I feel bad giving it all away, so I'll just post a link to the group where I discovered the details: The Light Lounge: Orbs and Globes.

Turns out CaraRose and CLKunst were correct. And it should be noted that Denis (Biskitboy) himself provided the biggest clue: "If you have a look around the groups that I, and other light painters frequent on Flickr you will clearly how this type of work is done."

That's close to what I thought was going on. I kept trying to make it work from the middle of the orb in my head, and wondered why the motive force didn't show up in the photo. Makes sense now. An interesting technique, a little hokey, but combined with the fine locations it makes for an interesting enough photo. No mechanical device used...unless you want to count the source of light. No hula hoops were harmed here...

So, it wasn't even his cleverness, hmm, he sort of tried to take the credit for it.

Oh well, good find patia - don't feel bad, you aren't giving away *his* technique anyway.

what trips me out is the imperfection in some of the orbs. you can see it wasn't done with something like a hula hoop.

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Originally Posted by Anbesol

So, it wasn't even his cleverness, hmm, he sort of tried to take the credit for it.

Oh well, good find patia - don't feel bad, you aren't giving away *his* technique anyway.

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I didnt take credit for anything you dick. Now I know why I never bother with these groups, because of people like you. Of all the comments in this thread you are the only negative and rude person. Get a life!

And good bye.

And where do you gat a 8ft hulla hoop. Oh yeah you probably didnt even go and look at any of the images to work that out.