Light painting is something many of us try at some point in our photographic journey. Some of us just make a brief visit into this world, but others make it their home. One such photographer is Derek VanAlthuis, an avid light painter who’s produced some outstanding work. One such image is the one above. When I first saw this image, I could immediately tell that it wasn’t your average light painting photo. The fire just looked so real. As it turns out, it looks that way because it is real fire. I got in touch with Derek to find out more about his process, and get some insight into how this image was made.
Like many of us, Derek was introduced to light painting with steel wool photography. He experimented with it with some friends while in film school. From there, he began to question what other forms of light painting might be possible.
Having the help of a such an experienced mentor is certainly a valuable asset for any photographer in any genre. I immediately became obsessed with light painting and wanted to learn everything I could. Due to his incredibly friendly personality and valuable mentorship, Eric inspired me to be the light painter I am today. And that creativity and uniqueness doesn’t just extend to the images themselves. Light painting by its very nature opens up the doors of inventiveness. Many things can act as a light source for such activity. Whether it’s led lights, a flashlight with or without various attachments, a tablet screen, or an illuminated stick. It’s that inventiveness that led to the Phoenix. Derek told DIYP about the idea that inspired the creation of the shot.
Using real fire certainly adds that extra touch of authenticity to a subject like the phoenix. Derek spoke with us about the equipment he used to create the image. He also shared his method for creating the fire that allowed him to get such a degree of control. Zach used actual fire to form rings behind Juli to create an amazing aesthetic, and I was immediately inspired to try his technique out with our Phoenix wings. By combining my techniques with Eric & Zach’s, my vision for this photo was brought to life. Oh yeah, tripods are pretty much essential for long exposures, especially light painting. The last thing you need is blurry environments detracting from your main subject. It is really important to shoot on a tripod when light painting. Since you are using a long exposure, any movement in the camera during that time can show up in your shot and cause it to be blurry.
Of course, when working with fire, there are some definite safety aspects to take into account. The shot was illuminated only by the fire in Derek’s hand over about a 3 second exposure. His subject, however, appears to be flying. Obviously she can’t leap and hold a pose in mid-air for that long, so we asked Derek how he achieved this.
Despite working with nice warm fire, two important aspects of shooting images like this on location are temperature and timing. You want to to be late enough in the day that your light sticks out from your scene over a long exposure. But, you don’t want it so late that it’s freezing cold. Derek spoke with us about these challenges on a shoot like this. With the shots in the bag, and back at his computer, it was time for Derek to start post processing the photographs. Derek knew before he’d even shot the first image that this would be a composite. So, he told DIYP about his post workflow. One of my favorite times to shoot is at blue hour because of the blue color tones (obviously) and because it provides a nice background and depth to your composition instead of just pure black. The only challenge to shooting a blue hour is that it is a very short time period, about 15-20 minutes. So it’s important to make sure you plan ahead and get as many shots as possible within that time frame.
Whenever I make an edit, there is that one moment where you know its exactly how you want the final image to look. So once I saw that point, I exported it and the result is what you see here! After having a brief look through some of the online light painting communities, they are indeed very supportive places. Everybody seems all too willing to lend a hand and help perfect techniques where possible. With that in mind, Derek has a few people he wanted to thank for helping and inspiring him on his journey. He considers his work to be a team effort, and each of them have contributed in their own special way. And many thanks to you, Derek, for taking the time to share your work and talk with us. A fantastic idea, with an amazing final result. Also, a huge thank you to all of YOU for supporting my work and my passion. If you want to find out more about Derek, head on over to his website at Vanalthuis Studios, and follow his work on Instagram.
