Long-Distance Light Painting

A March Milky Way over Agathla Peak, Arizona - light painted from a distance of almost one mile ~ © Royce Bair

Long-Distance Light Painting usually requires the use of a spotlight. These lights use parabolic shaped reflectors to throw a narrow, concentrated beam of light over great distances. Because the beam is so narrow, the light must be keep moving, with overlapping brush-like strokes ("painting") during the camera exposure, otherwise the illumination of the distant object will be uneven.

Lights for light painting: #3, 4, 6, and 8 are spotlights — ranging from 1-million candlepower (#8) to 18-million candlepower (#3). This large spotlight was used to light paint Agathla Peak. Taken from page 77 of my ebook, "Milky Way NightScapes". (Click to enlarge.)

NOTE: a complete list of Light Painting Tutorials can be found here on this blog (scroll down to see all of them).

Angle of Light: In order to achieve a three-dimensional effect for your distant feature, the light painting is best done from a somewhat perpendicular angle to the camera. Flat, uninteresting lighting happens when one paints from behind or close to the camera.

The Glare Factor: Powerful spotlights are so intense that they will light up any dust or moisture in the air and cause it to reflect back into the eyes of the one doing the light painting —so much that they can barely see the distant feature they are painting. When this happens, communication and feedback with the person at the camera position is essential in order to produce effective and even light painting. Over long distances, this communication is usually done best with hand-held two-way radios, equipped with VOX or voice-activated control.

Calculating the Exposure: Top NightScape photographers usually try to do their light paint during the exposure for the sky, or a single exposure that includes incorporates both the sky and the lighted foreground feature. This requires that the light intensity match the brightness of the sky. If the exposure for the sky lasts 30 seconds (i.e., f/2.8, 30 seconds @ ISO 4000), then the light painting time must be adjusted to match that exposure. If distances are short, and the intensity of the light is high, light painting time may be only 5 to 10 seconds. With longer distances, the light painting time may often need to be increased to the full 30 seconds.

In the case of the Agathla Peak photo, a 24mm lens was used, requiring a shorter sky exposure (under 15 seconds, in order to prevent star trailing). Because of the nearly 1-mile distance and the shortness of the exposure (13 seconds), the intensity of the light source had to be increased to the use of a huge, 18-million candlepower spotlight.

One can get closer to the foreground feature to reduce the need for a more powerful light source, but not too close. If you get too close to your feature, the portions closest to the light may burn out (too light), and the portions furthest away may be too dark in your light painting. By keeping your lighting distance about four times greater than the size of your feature, you reduce the light falloff ratio. (In this Agathla Peak setup, the 1,500-ft. feature required that I be about 6,000 feet away —I chose a modest compromise of 5,000 feet.)

One Exposure or Multiple? Even if one wants to produce the NightScape photo in just one exposure (hey, it's a pride thing), multiple takes or exposures will often be preferred in order to increase one's chances for success. Blending the foreground portion of several exposures (via Photoshop layers) will enable you to even out your lighting, especially as distances increase and the glare factor escalates.

When light painting long-distance features, it's important to take several exposures. The foreground portions can later be blended together in post and improve the evenness of your lighting. Taken from page 104 of my ebook, "Milky Way NightScapes". (Click to enlarge.)

Stay in One Place: In order to blend foreground portions later in post processing, you must remain in one place —otherwise your image portions will not register or align. Since sky conditions are also constantly changing, you'll also improve your chances for a successful image by staying put and not moving your camera or tripod. This will allow you to pick and choose the best skies to blend with the best foreground exposures.

Staying in one place will increase your chances for a successful image combination of sky and foreground. Taken from page 105 of my ebook, "Milky Way NightScapes". (Click to enlarge.)

The final image combined the best sky (with light pollution from the town of Kayenta removed) with a foreground blend of the three best peak light paintings. Exposure for each image was 13 seconds (f/2.0, ISO 4000), using a 24mm lens on a Canon 5D Mark III. Light painting was for the full 13 seconds exposure. Taken from page 106 of my "Milky Way NightScapes" ebook. (Click to enlarge.)

Painting with Light by Tim Cooper

Light painting photography by Tim Cooper © (click image to enlarge)

A light painting tutorial by Tim Cooper (reprinted by permission):

I first learned about painting with light over 20 years ago in one of my early photo classes.  Surprisingly, not much has changed since this time. A fascinating mix of painting and photography, illuminating your subject with a flashlight is an extraordinary amount of fun. 

The glowing results of Light Painting might suggest a complicated and time consuming process, but with a few hints and little practice, you will be making masterpieces in no time!  Due to modern digital cameras, this type of photography is easier than ever.  

By definition, Light Painting is the process of photographing at night while illuminating your subject with a handheld device such as a flashlight or camera flash.  The use of a moving hand held light creates a look that is nearly impossible to replicate during daylight hours. 

You can also mix in the ambient light of the scene for a more layered affect.  Your scenes can be partially lit by moonlight, street lights, house lights or entirely lit by your own flashlight!  You can use different flashlights for a slight change in color or place colored gels over them for striking changes.  Rotating the front bezel of your flashlight spreads or focuses the beam light creating a variety looks to your image.  The possibilities are endless! 

Unlike many forms of photography, there are very few hard and fast rules that apply to this discipline.  Proper exposure is largely based on a trial and error approach.  Subject reflectivity, ambient light, flashlight power and  distance from flashlight to the subject all influence the resulting exposure. 

Begin by taking some test exposures.  In many cases, the longest shutter of 30 seconds on your camera will not provide enough time to paint.  This means you will need a camera that goes to a shutter speed of “B”, which stands for bulb.  To use the B setting you must have a cable release with a lock.  Plug in your cable release, set your camera to B and press and lock the cable release.  The shutter will now stay open until you unlock the cable release.  Exposures can range from 1 second to hours.  Typically most cameras will start to exhibit too much noise after the 3 minute mark, however. 

I usually start with my aperture at about f8.  This is typically the sharpest part of any lens and also allows more time to paint.  Keep your ISO at a lower setting such as 100, 200 or 400. 

If the scene is completely dark with no ambient light, then only your flash light will illuminate the scene.  In cases like this, you can leave your shutter open for a very long time.  1 minute, two minutes or even three minutes.

If you are mixing ambient light, such as the full moon or street lights, you shutter time may anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.  My recommendation here is to take some test shots with out painting. Get your ambient light to a brightness that doesn’t overwhelm your scene.  Perhaps something a little darker than you might normally use.  Set your shutter speed for this exposure and then begin to experiment with different amounts of light painting.

10 Helpful Hints:

1. Wear dark clothes so as you walk through the scene you will appear invisible to the camera
2. Keep your body in between the flashlight and camera to alleviate recording the flashlight in the scene.
3. Don’t keep your body in between what you are painting and the camera.  This will negate the painting.
4. Paint your subjects from the side rather than from the camera.  Painting directly from the camera will flatten out the scene while painting from the side adds texture.
5. Spend more time painting the areas you want to highlight. 
6. Use a broad beam for illuminating a general area, a focused beam to highlight.
7. Use the cardboard core of a paper towel roll over the front of your flashlight to achieve a very narrow beam.
8. Move the position of the flashlight to create a softer light.  Try to refrain from painting from one position.  
9. Before going out to make masterpieces, test your camera at home.  Set up your camera in your home at night and make a series of exposures at 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes and 4 minutes.  Check your images out on your computer and see where the noise starts to become a problem.  Most cameras will look OK up to the 2 or 3 minute mark.
10. The hotter it is, the more noise you will see over long exposures.  Below 60 degrees is optimal!
11. Practice, experiment and have fun!

About Tim Cooper: For more tutorials, workshops, and learning go to Tim Cooper's website. I also suggest you join Tim's Photo Circle for future updates on equipment reviews, tips, and training videos.

Editor's Note: Items #4, 7, and 8 are important "advanced" techniques that can really separate your work from the crowd. Similar techniques are used in the light painted foregrounds of my NightScapes. When working with starscapes, that require the stars to remain as points of light, your period of light painting time will be limited to 30 seconds or less. (This time can be extended by taking two exposures, a shorter one for the sky, and a longer one for the light painted foreground, then combining the two in post production.)

Advertisement: Hot Weekly Photography Deals - Amazing discounts (updated twice a week).

Stationary Light Painting

Milky Way over granite pinnacles in the Alabama Hills - Tuttle Creek Canyon area ~ © Royce Bair
There are five battery-powered LED (with color filters) lights hidden among the rocks, and
another battery-powered main (or "key") light 300 feet to the right of this scene.
Canon 5D Mark III • Rokinon 24mm f/1.4 lens @ f/2.0 • 13" • ISO 5000

Stationary Light "Painting" sounds like an oxymoron. The very definition of light painting refers to hand held, moving lights. However, the problem with moving lights is inconsistency —it's virtually impossible to get the same results for each exposure.

Traditional light painting allows one to cover a large area with a small light, by moving the light back and forth (painting) during a long exposure. Good results are somewhat by chance and hard to repeat. However, it's this experimental randomness that can produce quirky and happy "mistakes" —considered "artistic" by some.

Lighting for Panoramas, Time Lapse and Group Photography: With all the challenges of astro-landscape photography, that are plenty of variables to manipulate and prove one's artistic abilities without having to deal with foreground lighting inconsistencies, especially if you are doing panoramas or time lapse photography. In panoramas, the foreground in each exposure must be lighted the same or the objects will not blend properly when stitched together. In time lapse sequences, the foreground lighting in each frame or exposure must be exactly the same the video will flicker. (In these time lapse scenes by Mike Darter, the only flicker comes from errant red headlamps being turned on, and me setting up the lights in the beginning exposures.)

When I light paint a landscape foreground for a workshop group, stationary or "sculptured" lighting, as I like to call it, allows the participates to move around and concentrate more on composition. They are not hampered by having to be in sync with the timing of the painting, only to discover later that their best compositions were paired with a bad painting sequence.

Despite the obvious advantages of sculptured lighting, I do both stationary (here's a step-by-step example) and traditional light painting (example), depending on the need and look I'm trying to create.

This is one of several "key" or main light set-ups I use in my stationary or "sculptured" lighting.
Everything but the sandbag (5.) is available through Paul C. Buff, Inc. (1.) 11-inch Long Throw (28º)
Silver Reflector. (2.) AlienBees B1600 Flash Unit. (3.) Vagabond Mini Lithium (true sine wave
portable power source for 120 volt AC). (4.) Light stand. (5.) Sandbag. (6.) Bag for B1600. (7.) Bag for
Vagabond. (8.) Closeup of Vagabond. (9) Closeup of B1600 Flash Unit back — flash and model light
power are variable from full to 1/32 power. Modeling light is the light source for most of my NightScapes.

Quartz Halogen Lights and Lithium Powered Inverters, such as the highly efficient and light weight Vagabond Mini (through Paul C. Buff, Inc.) are a great way to provide about two hours of constant main or "key" lighting. The new Vagabond Lithium Extreme can easily provide about three hours of constant light. Although these units are made for powering studio size flash units like the 640 Ws B1600 (providing up to 500 full-power flashes), it is the use of the quartz halogen modeling light (without the flash) that I am employing here.

The flash unit will accept quartz halogen bulbs up to 150-watts, but 100-watt and even 60-watt bulbs are often more practical. In the top photo of the Alabama Hills, I used a 150-watt bulb reduced to 1/8 power (even at a distance of about 300 feet from the pinnacles). When you are shooting star-scapes at ISO's of 3200 to 6400, it is surprising how little light is needed in the foreground to balance with the sky exposure!

Quartz Halogen for the main light is preferred over LED's for two reasons: 1. Since many nightscape shooters photograph the starry night sky with a White Balance of 3000º Kelvin to 3500º Kelvin, the halogen lights are already at a similar color balance, and the more you dim these lights, the warmer they go —adding a pleasant contrast to the cool night sky. 2. Halogens can more easily be focused and controlled than LED's. Using the 11-inch Long Throw Silver Reflector allows me to set my main light at greater distances (with less light loss), thus reducing the light fall-off from one side of the picture frame to the other.

Large and Super-size Landscapes: The above unit can easily light most large landscape foregrounds with just the use of the modeling light. For super-size landscapes, the powerful studio flash can be employed; albeit, with the strobe, one no longer has the advantage of a constant light source.

Accent and Fill Lighting: To soften (fill) shadows cast by the main light, I often place omni-directional LED lights, such as lanterns, near the camera position, or opposite the main light. Miniature LED lanterns can also be used as accent lights, such as those hidden among the rocks in the top photo. In most cases, the LED lanterns must be gelled or filtered with yellow, orange or red filters in order to reduce their 8000º - 10000º Kelvin "bluish" output to a much warmer offering. The big advantage of LED technology is their low power consumption. Most will operate at full power for six or more hours on alkaline batteries.

The GE Chromalit 3D Super Bright White LED Technology lanterns have a low, medium and high
setting (260 lumens), with a built-in yellow filter, so it's warmer (about 4000º K) than most LEDs.
Even so, I often need to gel it with warming filters. Four alkaline D batteries will power
this lantern up to 50 hours! Available at Costco, Amazon and eBay for $20 to $30.

These mini LED lanterns by Life Gear are an in house brand of Walmart, and usually cost only $5.00
each. They produce 25 lumens of bluish-white light that typically must be gelled for best white balance.
However, their most common use for me is in their red LED mode, as an accent light (no need to filter).
In many cases I need even less red light, so I set them to flashing mode, where their rapid intermittent
red glow yields about 50% less light during a time exposure. Powered by 3 AAA alkaline batteries.

Warming Gels / Filters for LED Lights: The filters I use over the GE Chromalit lantern are cut from a single, 20" x 24" sheet of Rosco Roscolux #13 Straw Tint. You can buy the Rosco (or Lee brand) sheets through most local theatrical supply stores. A deeper orange color is needed to warm the cooler mini lanterns from Lite Gear, or you can just add another layer of the Straw Tint. A Roscolux Swatchbook can help you choose the colors you want to use for your next lighting project.

Super Portable Key Light: In a future post, I'll show you an LED panel light (for under $100) that can be used as a main light for many medium-sized landscape foregrounds.

Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com

Night Photography Restrictions in Arches National Park

An April Milk Way rises behind Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah - foreground illuminated by Low Level Landscape (LLL) lighting.  This very dim, filtered light panel was set up on a tripod down in the bowl. It was dimmed down until it matches starlight. You cannot even see it until your eyes dark-adapt. The dim light was left on for about an hour, while over 30 visitors from several nations were able to take similar photos, even though they were not part of my workshop group. (EXIF: Canon 5DM3, Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, 13 sec, f/2.0, ISO 5000) © Royce Bair

April 23, 2018 UPDATE: In 2017, three national parks (Arches, Canyonlands and Grand Teton) banned light painting, and there was even talk of banning all night photography. However, due to the lobbying and educational efforts of myself, Wayne Pinkston and many others, Arches, Canyonlands and Natural Bridges have now adopted the Low Level Lighting techniques that we pioneered as an approved standard for commercial Still Photography Instruction (workshops) within these parks! Standard light painting (described below in #16) is still banned, but LLL is allowed:

20. Light Panel - Using a low level light panel that emits extremely dim constant lighting during a nighttime photographic exposure is an approved method for lighting the landscape at night.

Thank You! Wayne and I would like to thank all who have adopted our less obtrusive LLL techniques and promoted these methods to others. This thanks also goes to the great people at the National Park Service, who were willing to consider and modify their regulations. Together, we have made a difference that will help thousands to better enjoy the landscape and the night sky!

Grand Teton continues to ban all uses of artificial lighting at night, no matter the type (light painting or Low Level Lighting). The purpose of this restriction, claims the park superintendent, is to protect the wildlife. Night photography is still allowed, and headlamps are permitted by night photographers to help them get to and from their shooting locations (albeit, headlamps can be over 100 times brighter than LLL). It should be noted that unlike Arches, Canyonlands and Natural Bridges, Grand Teton's ban on artificial lighting applies to all photographers, whereas the aforementioned parks only placed their lighting restrictions on commercial workshops.

- - -

ORIGINAL POST ~ Dateline: January 12, 2017
Will All Night Photography Be Banned in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks? Beginning this year, no light painting will be allowed to take place within Arches and Canyonlands by commercial photo workshop groups; and starting in 2018, it is very possible that no night photography will be allowed by participants of these photo workshops within the two parks. Currently, this ruling applies only to Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) permit holders and their photography workshop groups. It does not (yet) apply to private individuals and amateur photographers.

16. Light painting – Light painting activities are not authorized under this authorization. Light painting, or light drawing, is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph, either to illuminate a subject or to shine a point of light directly at the camera, or by moving the camera itself during exposure. [APPENDIX SPECIAL PARK CONDITIONS - ARCHES NATIONAL PARK & CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK - Still Photography Instruction] 

Earlier this month, all night photography had been banned within the two parks for CUA permit holders and their photo workshop groups. However, after numerous protests from operators, who already had scheduled workshops in place, Concessions Management Specialist, Michael Hill, lifted the ban for the current 2017 season, but not the ban on light painting. In an email to all Still Photography Instruction CUA permit holders, Michael wrote on January 5, 2017:

Some folks have voiced no concern about the change, while a few others stated that all they do is night photography and that change would be devastating. ...For 2017 we will continue to allow night use in the Still Photography Instruction CUA for Canyonlands and Arches, as we have done in the past. Light painting, however has been an issue with our park nighttime visitors, and we still feel that does not have a commercial place in the park. …For 2018 I am open for dialogue if that night use will continue. Feel free to email me your comments.

Balance Rock stands only a few hundred feet from a busy park road. It is a very difficult formation to photograph at night because of all the car headlights that rake across it. However, at about about 2:00am on some Spring mornings, the traffic does diminish and one can capture the Milky Way rising above the horizon. (EXIF: Canon 5DM3, Rokinon 24mm f/1.4, 13 sec, f/2.0, ISO 5000, using LLL lighting.) © Royce Bair

Could a future ban affect ALL photographers? It is not clear if a possible ban on all night photography will begin in 2018 just for Still Photography Instruction CUA permit holders, or if this ban will be for all photographers. Currently, Guided Interpretive Day Hiking within the two parks is already restricted to daylight and twilight hours:

36. Area Use – This authorization is applicable only for the use of the area, term, and conditions designated herein. The area(s) authorized for use under this authorization must be left in substantially the same condition as it was prior to the activities authorized herein. Only 2wd roads are authorized for use.
**Approved use starts 1/2 hours before sunrise and ends 1/2 hours after sunset. This does not include travel time.**

Increasing Park Visitation and undesirable activities in the park. Michael Hill, explained park managements reasons for the changes in the same email letter to CUA permit holders:

Managing the parks here are complex, and have ever changing issues to manage.
If you have followed the news you would understand the explosive use of this area has changed a lot in and out side of the parks here. Technology as well has impacted how we manage the parks. In those 8 years we have gone from 24 to 260 CUAs. Our park visitation has increased to where we need to change how we manage the visitors, as well as commercial services. 

It is our mandate to balance protecting the park resource and providing the enjoyment for park visitors. We have to balance the commercial use of a park in regards to services that are appropriate and/or necessary, in regards to the above statement. Commercial use in a park is a privilege.  

Regarding night photography instruction, you don't need Arches to teach night photography. Teaching night photography can be accomplished in many areas outside of the National Parks here.

Regarding light painting in Arches National Park. We have determined that as not a desired activity in the park when, we have visitors (not photographers) complain about it, and some of those visitors just leave the park as they don't know what is going on. 

Are Additional Night Photography Bans Coming? As park visitation increases in all the national parks, we may expect to see similar bans on night photography in other parks. Fox News recently reported that Utah's Zion National Park is now experiencing too many visitors, even in the winter off-season.

Is "Light Painting" Getting a Bad Rap?
That depends on how one defines "light Painting." If it is defined the way park regulations are written above as, "...moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph," then maybe it deserves the bad publicity. Usually, these lights are powerful flashlights, headlamps or even spotlights that are being waved around natural formations to illuminate them. The lights are so bright, they can only be left on for a few seconds during the long camera time exposure that is necessary to record the starry night sky. The on and off flashing of these bright lights is ruining to one's night vision, and is very annoying to visitors (especially non-photographers) who are there to enjoy the night sky at a unique dark sky location. Most of these lights also have a very bluish color rendition, which also adversely effects night vision. Remember, many of the national parks have been promoting the slogan, "Half the park is after dark," and most of these nocturnal visitors are coming to see the stars, not your light painting!

The better way to light: More responsible photographers are beginning to use stationary, Low Level Landscape lighting (LLL). These very dim, filtered light panel care set up on a tripods and dimmed down until they matches starlight. They are so dim one cannot even see their effect until ones eyes dark-adapt.

"Headlamp Intrusion" at Mesa Arch - Canyonlands National Park. The top photo shows headlamp intrusion from a hiker about 100 yards behind me, through the trees and brush. The bottom photo has the same LLL (low level landscape) lighting as the top photo, but did not have the headlamp intrusion from behind. This should give one an idea of how dim and subtle LLL lighting is. Because this type of lighting is on for the whole astronomical exposure, it must match or be just slightly brighter than the intensity of starlight! In the top photo, the hiker's headlamp was only on for a few seconds of the whole 25-second time exposure, yet its estimated 150 lumens brightness (even from 300 feet away) completely overpowers my LLL lighting. (EXIF: Canon 5DM3, Tokina 15-30mm @ 15mm, 25 sec, f/2.8, ISO 6400) © Royce Bair

Share and share alike. In the top image, I was never able to get a decent photo because a bus tour of about 30 foreign photographers came and they would not shut off their headlamps and flashlights, even for 30 seconds. They wanted it all to themselves. “You Americans think you own the national parks,” said the tour leader. I checked the next day, and the park had no record of a permit for them. In the bottom photo (2 years later), dozens of photographers shared my lighting set up and even my shooting position. One of those was a talented photographer from India, Manish Mamtani.

"Arch over an Arch" - Mesa Arch, Canyonlands Nattional Park, Utah. “This is a Milky Way panorama created by stacking and stitching about 56 images. I wanted to take this shot at Mesa Arch in Utah [for over] 4 years, and finally this year I was successful. I ran into Royce Bair …and he had set up some lights to light the foreground,” says Manish. © Manish Mamtani

Continuing the Discussion...
To see what others are saying about the light painting restrictions and the possibility of a complete ban on all night photography, beginning in 2018, check out this post on Ben Coffman's Facebook page.

Fellow photo workshop instructor, Brad Goldpaint, had this to say in that Facebook post, after a lengthy telephone conversation with park Concessions Management Specialist, Michael Hill...

Mike mentioned the issues he’s been facing in the park(s): Too many crowds/busses, too many CUAs, not enough staff, and too many complaints from nighttime photographic activity. He mentioned a number of examples which led to this abrupt change. A couple of these examples stood out to me that I’m sure some of you can relate to:

1. “Someone set up a tent under a popular arch, put a light inside of it, and then turned on three other flashlights in the area. A visitor approached the scene, thought there was a search and rescue underway, and decided to leave the area. We’ve had people sleeping under the arches, hiking off trail, vandalism, and it’s getting to the point where we have no way of controlling the massive amount of crowds.” Mike has a lot of experience and history with Arches. He told me back in the 80’s he could ride a bike throughout the entire park during a full moon and not see a single headlight throughout the entire night. Nowadays, he gets more and more complaints about people in the park at night, “doing things they shouldn’t be doing.” I couldn’t help but mention ‘the CUA holders I know are actually the ones who are protecting, teaching, and leading by example to help keep a close eye on what transpires at night. If you remove the CUA holders, then it really is free reign on the park.’
2. “Some things have gotten so bad I’ve had my sanitation crew threaten to quit. We have busloads of visitors coming from the other side of the ocean who have never used a pit toilet. Therefore, visitors and my crew have to pick up human feces. We’re actually installing visual diagrams to show visitors how to use pit toilets in hopes of preventing this issue from continuing to happen.”   
3. “We’ve had busses follow night photography workshops around and we don’t have the staff to keep them out of the area so the students can enjoy. The instructor will complain, but I don’t have the staff to control the massive amount of people.”
4. “We were actually going to get rid of the entire ‘Still Photography CUA,’ but I fought to keep it. I did my best in trying to limit use during times we cannot monitor the park.”

Listening to Mike, I began to understand the issues he and the park are facing. It’s not what I wanted to hear, nor was this unexpected change handled in a reasonable manner, but something has to give and change is inevitable. Remember, “Commercial use in a park is a privilege and no one is guaranteed a CUA the following year.” 

I’m happy to see we are allowed to teach an additional year in Arches & Canyonlands, but I believe it is critical for all current and future CUA holders to voice their opinions and ideas to formulate a sustainable solution for all parties affected so future generations can enjoy similar experiences we’ve been fortunate enough to have. As Mike H. said in his latest email, "For 2018 I am open for dialogue if that night use will continue. Feel free to email me your comments. I look forward to receiving them."

Followup: After I had a chance to discuss these issues with Brad, we both agree that Mike is in a tough situation and trying to do whatever he can to alleviate the problems of night use in the park. The problem, we believe, is park administration is blaming it on the “good guys.”

If only the CUA holders are banned from doing night photography in the parks, who is going to be there to report the non-permitted tour bus groups that lurk the parks at night?

Despite this, no light painting in Arches and Canyonlands is a restriction we can live with, if it will help reduce tension and heighten the dark sky experience for all visitors to these two parks.

Teaching Night Photography Ethics:
In an effort to educate the public on proper night photography ethics and Low Level Lighting (LLL) techniques, I have scheduled an entertaining and educational mini-seminar for March 14, 2014, called “Creating Natural NightScape Photographs.” This free event is sponsored by Adobe Systems, and will include socializing at the Viridian Event Center in West Jordan, Utah.

- - -

Popular Links: How to Shoot the Milky Way • Post Processing NightScapes • Workshops and PhotoWalks • Tutorials and Tips • Overcoming Lens Coma • Video Hangout with my Friends

Chapel of The Transfiguration - Grand Teton N.P.

© George Manlove • Canon 6D • Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 @ 33mm • f/2.8, 15 sec, ISO 800 (click to enlarge)

Last week I conducted a NightScape workshop in Grand Teton National Park, and on our last night we light painted the log "Chapel of The Transfiguration" in Grand Teton National Park, that was built in 1925. Normally, I set up all the lights, but this time I wanted everyone to get involved and give their input. It took longer, but it was more fun and a better learning experience for everyone.

3 Interpretations: We changed the lighting multiple times during the two hours we were there. Some chose to use only the stationary lights that I set up, Others wanted only hand-held, moving spotlights and lanterns placed inside the chapel, and others wanted a combination of all those things. As the evening progressed, exposures for the sky increased and exposures for the artificial lights decreased in order to maintain a proper balance. We started during the end of the "Blue Hour" and ended well past the astronomical twilight. Here are interpretations from three of the workshop participants.

George Manlove lived in Montana for most of his life and relocated to Park City, Utah a few years ago. As an early adopter, George loves technology and was fortunate to work with Apple during the early Steve Jobs period. Thereafter, he was an entrepreneur in the consumer electronics industry and a pioneer in e-commerce online personal computer, audio/video electronics sales in the late 1990’s. "Photography has always been a part of his adult life," says George. "With the advances in technology, digital imaging is very sophisticated, thereby creating exciting entrepreneurial opportunities. I hope to advance my photographic skills to capture unique professional images for the commercial marketplace."

© Nicole Fernley • Nikon D600 • Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 • f/4.5, 15 sec, ISO 6400 (click to enlarge)

Nicole Fernley is an amateur photographer intrigued by the night sky. She started learning photography on her dad's old Minolta 35mm (circa 1970) with manual light meter and focus. "The first time I took it to a photography workshop in the 1990s, I was laughed out of the class by the instructor because it was so old," said Nicole! She grew up on the Idaho side of the Tetons but rarely spent time on the more popular Wyoming side. "I was thrilled to attend Royce's workshop in Grand Teton National Park—I learned some solid skills and became acquainted with the landscape of a national treasure."

© Jean Thomas • Canon 5D Mark II • Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 @ 30mm • f/2.8, 15 sec, ISO 800 (click to enlarge)

Jean Thomas is a passionate amateur photographer who is always looking for that next sunrise or sunset, and always following the light.  This passion has taken her to many wonderful locations within our beautiful country and park system.  The workshop fulfilled a dream to photograph the Milky Way in the Grand Tetons. "I feel fortunate to have come home with so many amazing images," says Jean.

LED Light Panel

Lighting Equipment Used. Calumet Pro Series Stackable LED Light Panel: This Calumet LED Light Panel is a compact (5 x 1.8 x 3") little powerhouse that has become one of my favorite units for lighting painting and people. It uses 5 AA batteries and runs for hours. It's 96 LEDs produce 800 Lux of 5600ºK light at 1 meter. What I really appreciate is the variable dimmer control that allows stepless brightness output. I often use this a stationary key or fill light, mounted on a tripod or balanced against a rock, and I can set just the exact intensity I want (as I did with this chapel). It also comes with two magnetic filter plates that snap onto the front of the unit. One is a translucent white diffusion filter and the other is a 3200ºK daylight-to-tungsten warming filter. I find myself using both almost 100% of the time. Although the units are stackable, so that you can attach multiple units together (2, 3, 4, 6 or 9 units for one huge light source), I keep one unit in my camera bag at all times. NOTE: There are other brands of this light panel design, some much more expensive, and some very cheaply made. The original, Litepanels, runs about $400 for this design. The Calumet is $199. However, the best value out there is the Vidpro Z-96K for $169, which I think is the exact same unit as the Calumet, but it includes two accessories that Calumet charges $40 extra for: a 7.2V Li-ion battery and charger—which will run the unit for up to 5 hours! The Li-ion battery attaches to the back of the unit, and can be used instead of the five AA batteries that go inside of the unit.

GE Chromalit lantern

GE Chromalit 3D Super Bright White Led Technology. I used two of these Coleman-lantern-style LED lights that I placed inside the chapel to light the interior and the stained glass windows. I'm constantly finding new light painting uses for this lantern because it provides 360º of coverage. It has a yellow filter over the light source, so it's warmer than most LEDs, but I still find it a bit cool. It produces a powerful 260 lumens of light, which can be dimmed down with a low setting. The Chromalit 3D will run for 200 hours on low or 100 hours on high using 8 D batteries, but it will also run 100 hours or 50 hours respectively using just 4 D batteries, which is what I do to keep down the weight. NOTE: I originally bought mine at Costco for $20. General Electric is now producing a smaller, cheaper, and less powerful unit; however the original Chromalit is still available on Amazon and eBay for $25-$30.

Dual Xenon

Brinkmann MaxFire Dual Xenon Spotlight: This compact Brinkmann Dual Xenon Spotlight packs a lot of good color-corrected light. Two of our workshop participants had these units with them, and we used both (one photographer painting on one side of the chapel, and another photographer painting on the other)! The rechargeable unit has the option of using one or two beams for adjustable brightness—we had plenty of light with just the one xenon beam, and we often lighted the chapel for only about five seconds of the average 15-seconds time exposure.

Coast HP17 Flashlight: This 615 lumens focusable LED flashlight was use to highlight the chapel's cross in Jean Thomas' photo, but I could have easily used my less powerful HP14 (339 lumens) flashlight. Both flashlights  (and two others) are reviewed on this Flashlights for Light Painting page.

Vagabond Mini Lithium

Vagabond Portable Power Supply System: The Vagabond Mini Lithium is an on-location power supply that I often use to  to power incandescent lights and large studio strobes. In this case, I used it to power the 150-watt quartz halogen modeling lamp of an AlienBees D1600 Flash unit (variable dimmer brought the output down in this case to about 60 watts). This constant light output is often used on a light stand as a stationary light source in my light painting. It provides a repeatable light source for group 'NightScape' shots, or where I need an un-manned light. The Vagabond is also used to power the same strobe heads when I need a lot of flash power for big landscape light painting.

Special thanks to C.Y. Roby, who also helped on the light painting by manning one of the spotlights; and to Mike R. Jackson, a local professional photographer, who suggested I add the chapel to my workshop schedule.

Featured Post: Shooting Stars eBook Review — How to Photograph the Stars and the Moon

Z96 LED Light Panel for Night Photography

The Z96 LED Video Light can be used as both a main (key) light and a fill light by adjusting
the dimmer switch. The key light is on a stationary light stand 100 feet to the left, and the fill
light is on a light stand 40 feet to the right.
(Single exposure of Zion's "Little Tree" - Zion N.P. ~ © Royce Bair)

The versatile Z96 LED Light Panel was designed as both a video light for camcorders and as a light for DSLR photography, where it is placed above the camera on the hot shoe. However, I have found it to be an excellent light for stationary light painting in my astro-landscape night photography. I've used it at distances up to 500 feet to light many landscape features.

Stationary Light Painting. Flashlights and spotlights are often used in light painting, but their narrow beams require considerable "painting" skill to overlap each stroke of the light "brush", in order to make the light even. The Z96 has nine rows of 16 LED lights (96 total), producing more of a flood light pattern (about 65º beam angle). This broader light source allows me to place the light on a light stand, tripod, or more often than not, just on the ground, leaning against a rock —pointing towards a landscape feature, and leaving it unattended.

The Z96's broad angle of coverage makes a great unattended fill light, to soften or lighten the harsh shadows created by a stronger main light. Often, that main light will be a handheld, moving spotlight. Sometimes, I'll use two Z96's —one set on full power, and the other dimmed as the fill light, similar the the top photo in Zion National Park. In other cases, I'll use it as the only artificial light source, like I did in the Temple of the Moon photo, below.

The top photo has no light painting. The bottom photo is lit with one Z96, placed 500 feet
to the left of the 270 feet high monument. (Single exposure of the Temple of the Moon,
Cathedral Valley, Capital Reef N.P., Utah ~ © Royce Bair)

The advantage of unattended lighting (or "stationary light sculpting", as I like to call it), is that you can concentrate on making other adjustments to your image, such as composition. Stationary lighting also allows one to do time lapse photography, where every frame must have the same lighting, or the video will flickr. It is also useful in panoramic night scenes where all the images must have the same foreground lighting, if they are to match when stitched together.

The Z96 LED Video Light Panel is very compact. It come with a screw-on adjustable
mounting head/bracket and two magnetic snap-on filters (dollar bill not included)

Compact and Adjustable: The Z96 is extremely compact (5 x 1.8 x 3") and adaptable. It comes with an adjustable mounting head or bracket that allows slide-on mounting to a DSLR hot shot or to any 1/4" treaded device, i.e. a tripod or a light stand. It also comes with two magnetic snap-on filters —one is for diffusion and the other is an orange filler that converts the 5600º Kelvin LED lights to 3200º K. I usually leave both the diffusion and the orange filter on the Z96 for my NightScape photos. That's because I typically shoot my images with a 4000º K White Balance. This gives my skies a slightly bluish hue and the 3200º K light sources gives my foreground subjects and slightly warmer hue that contrasts nicely with the night sky.

Back and front view of the Z96 (pocket tripod no included)

Variable Light Intensity: The Z96 has a maximum light output of 800 Lux (at 1 meter). The dimmer switch on the back of the Z96 allows 0-100% light intensity. This is probably my most used feature. Except for long-distance landscape features, I rarely us this light panel at full power. For features that are less than 100 feet away, the light intensity is usually dimmed to less that one-half or one-quarter strength. That's because it doesn't take much light when you are using high ISO's in the range of 3200 to 6400 to photograph stars as points of light.

Power and light duration: Because LEDs are low consumers of electrical power, the manufacturer claims the Z96 can run for about 70 minutes at full power, using five AA batteries as a power source.  

Low Power Warning: If you have the Z96 dimmer switch set to full power and the batteries do not have enough strength to power the lights at that intensity, the lights will begin to flicker (go on and off), giving you notice that you must dim to a lower intensity. This annoying feature is actually a benefit to maintaining consistent exposure control . It lets you know that you don't have enough power to maintain that light intensity and camera exposure (very important in video recording and time lapse photography). If you are doing a time lapse, you'll want to read below and make sure you have the proper power source in order to maintain a consistent light intensity and avoid the flicker warning.

Alkaline vs. NiMH: In my tests, fresh AA alkalines typically last about 20 minutes, at full power, before the Z96 started to flicker. If one sets dimmer at 1/2 power, the lights will run for about 45 minutes before the unit starts to flickr. Set the dimmer at 1/4 power and it will run for about 1.5-hours before you get a flicker.

7.4 volt NP-F770 Lithium-ion battery

To avoid the flicker or constant re-adjustment of the light intensity via the dimmer switch, I use rechargeable NiMH batteries. I have found that NiMH batteries give me a more consistent power source than alkaline batteries (I use the 2300 mAh Energizer rechargeable). Alkaline batteries start out strong, but slowly weaken over a two hour period. The NiMH AA's start strong and remain at peak output for about 45 minutes (three times longer than alkaline), then quickly weaken near the end of their power. If you set the dimmer stitch at 1/2 power, you can get about 2-hours of consistent (flicker-less) light using NiMH batteries.

Lithium-ion Batteries: A Sony style 7.4 volt NP-F770 lithium-ion battery can be snapped on to the outside of battery compartment door and give you full (non-flicker) power for about 3-hours. At 1/2 power, the light will remain consistent for about six hours. This is a great option for long time lapse sequences.

Various LED Light Panel Brands: Litepanels was the original company that started making LED panel lights back in 2001. Their original 96 LED design sold for $400. Today's 96 LED Litepanels Micropro design sells for $350.

F&V Lighting is another quality manufacturer of panel lights. F&V makes the Z96 LED Video Light. Over the last 10 years, F&V has invested heavily in applying the advancements of LED technology to photographic and video applications, i.e. LUX/mAh efficiency and color rendering (CRI). I bought my first F&V Z96 Video Light through Calumet (labeled as their model CF9020) for $199. It has been a very reliable unit. Until recently, F&V has continued to sell the original Z96 ($169). This unit is currently being replaced by the Z96 UltraColor ($199), which has a higher color consistency (a CRI of 95).

BUYER BEWARE! These two units look exactly the same, except for the Calumet branding label
on the left unit. The Calumet was made by F&V, but the unit on the right is a Chinese counterfeit!

Both have the same "HDV-Z96" model number in the top left and the "Made by F&V"
molded into the bottom right of the units.

BEST Chinese Knock-off for less than $100: There are many Chinese panel light knock-offs at much lower prices, some even at the $20-$40 price range, and you might be tempted to buy one of these units. I even found a high-quality knock-off for about $95 that looks exactly like the F&V Z96 (I have two of these, in addition to my Calumet branded original). It even says that it is made by F&V, but the unit does NOT have the low power warning circuitry (light flickering), nor is its light color temperature the same as the authentic product. I contacted F&V and found out that their Z96 is one of the most counterfeited lighting products on the market because of its popularity and length of time that it has been in the photo marketplace!

NOTE: You might think that not having the power warning circuitry (light flickering) may be a plus, because the annoying flicker (on and off) would ruin a time lapse sequence, and you'd be right. But, having your foreground feature become darker (as the light intensity diminishes) would be just as annoying in your final time lapse video. However, if you never plan to do time lapse (or star trails), nor do you need exact color rendering (not as important for night landscape as it is for portrait and wedding photography), then this high-quality $95 counterfeit might still be a good fit for you. (The two I have do an excellent job for night photography, albeit their light color rendition just a touch more pink or magenta than the original unit.)

 

The Eyes of Turret Arch

"The 'Eyes' of Turret Arch" ~ © Royce Bair (click to enlarge)

On a very hot night in late June, I climbed up into Turret Arch and aimed my ultra-wide angle lens through the arch. From a daylight hike I had done that morning, I knew that "The Spectacles" (North and South Window Arch) would line up inside the Turret. Having checked with Stellarium, I also knew that the tail of the Milky Way would also pass through this opening (@ an 82º heading) at about 11:00 PM. However, in order to separate Turret Arch from the two Window Arches, I needed to do some light painting...

L to R: No light painting; one stationary light from the left; with 2nd moving fill light (click to enlarge)

It took about 40 minutes to set up and perfect the light painting for this shot, which worked out perfectly for the final shot, because the sky had by then reached maximum darkness, allowing for the best star contrast. The final image was exposed for 30 seconds @ f/2.8, ISO 6400, using a LF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens on a Canon 5D Mark III.

The middle image was illuminated by one Calumet LED Light Panel, covered with a translucent white diffusion filter and a 3200ºK daylight-to-tungsten warming filter (they come with the unit). I placed the light on the ground about 30 feet to the left of the camera, leaned it up against a rock and feathered the light just to the right of the image center. Because I wanted this light to remain on during the whole 30 seconds of my exposure, I dialed in the exact intensity using its built in dimmer switch (a very handy feature). This was my hands-off "key" light, and it covered about 65% of the areas I wanted lit. This left the foreground and the bottom left of the arch still in shadow.

Tool of the Week (TOTW): The lighting tool that saved the shot was a lowly, plastic cup: a translucent white, 10 ounce plastic drinking cup (this one is made by Solo)!

A white plastic cup works as a omni-directional diffuser/filter when placed over an LED flashlight (click to enlarge)

By placing the translucent white cup over my adjustable beam Maglite flashlight (LED 3-cell D), I created a diffused, omni-directional light that was easier to control in the tight and precarious perch behind my camera and tripod. (I pushed the cup down onto the front of the flashlight until it was snug and wouldn't fall off.) Upon opening the shutter with a remote radio release (a PocketWizard transceiver on the camera and one in my hand), I moved this light up and down (as high as I could reach) and walked between the Calumet key light and my tripod—for 15 of the 30 seconds exposure time. By moving up and down and left to right during the exposure, I am able to soften the edges of the shadows and help this light blend better with the first. I also placed a circular, amber colored filter (cut out from theatrical gel sheets) over the flashlight, and inside the cup (to better match the white balance of the key light).

Light Painting Tutorials: I have several blog posts describing more about advanced light painting techniques, and the equipment that I and other night photographers use.

Featured Post: Shooting Stars eBook Review — How to Photograph the Stars and the Moon

Mike Cooper's Nocturnal Kansas

"Vermilya-Boener" - a limestone Italian Villa style house built north of Lawrence in 1868 ~ © Mike Cooper
(Click to enlarge and read more info, including light painting details.)

W. S. Kelly Gas Station

Mike Cooper's nocturnal, photo documentation of rural Kansas began almost four years ago. Mike had never had any formal training in photography, let alone night photography. "I had seen some [night time exposures] online that looked pretty cool so I decided to give it a try.  I spent evenings sitting in my wife’s sewing room researching on the internet to figure out how it was done.  [As] an insurance adjustor by day, I drive about 450 miles a week through the rural areas of Kansas so I knew I could probably find some combines or tractors to use as subjects.  I really didn't want to invest much money in equipment if I wasn't going to like it. I already had a basic DSLR, so I bought a used Streamlight Stinger flashlight and cheap shutter-release cable off of eBay, as well a few lighting gels [to get started]."

Above photo taken with the Sony A350. Exposed for 74 seconds. Light painting with red, blue

and purple gelled flashlight; sodium vapor lighting to the right side of the building. One of Mike's

earliest night photos, before his focus was on rural Kansas. Abandon station is located in Cogar, Oklahoma.

Mike describes his style of night photography as "bright" —he likes his photos to be very “light,” especially through the use of the colored light painting. He enjoys night photography because of the unusual conversations that come from the property owners, as he tries to convince to them to let him onto their land. He usually carries some prints to show his past work. "They argue with me that [their property] can’t be taken at night," says Mike. He is amused when they can't believe that their abandon building will ever be as bright as the examples in his prints!

"District 34" - The one-room, Bichet School, built in 1896 ~ © Mike Cooper
A 182 second exposure with the Sony A560, using a blue gelled flashlight.
This is a good example of Mike's "Bright" night photography style. 

"The Drunkards' Masterpiece" - Stone house in the Flint Hills of Kansas (built circa 1840)  ~ © Mike Cooper
The story passed from father to son was that the two gentlemen who built it were drunk more than
they were sober. 180 seconds exposure with a Sony A560, during heavy cloud cover and
a lot of wind. Light painting with Protomachines set to violet and soft white.

"Abandoned II" - an abandoned gas station alongside I-35

Challenges: Because Kansas is a fairly large state, it is not unusual for Mike to drive 2+ hours one way to a location, photograph into the night, and still have to drive home in the early morning hours.

But his biggest challenge has been trying to figure out who is the right person to ask for permission on various abandoned sites. "I became a little pickier about trying to get permission after a run-in with a county sheriff that ended with me in handcuffs," laughs Mike. He thought he was going to have to call his brother-in-law to bail me out of jail. It should be no surprise that he hasn't taken any pictures in Harvey County since that night!

Equipment and software: Mike recently upgraded from a Sony A560 to a Nikon D800 and a Nikkor 14-24mm lens.  (All of the photos shown above were taken with the Sony A350 or A560.) He's using his Gitzo Explorer tripod and Arca Swiss ballhead that were purchased from eBay, but he originally started out with a cheap aluminum tripod.  Last year for Christmas, his wife got him a Protomachines flashlight and it has been a fantastic upgrade:  "I used to carry multiple flashlights, gels and as well as numerous miscellaneous handmade attachments for the flashlights to hold the gels or focus the beams.  Inevitably I would drop a flashlight and have to spend 30 minutes or more searching in the dark for it. [That's] no longer a problem now that I keep a Protomachines hung around my neck."

"District 88" - one room schoolhouse in Osage County, Kansas ~ © Mike Cooper
150 seconds exposure with Nikon D800. Light painting with Protomachines set to gold & soft white.

Mike uses the timer on his iPhone to keep track of how long the shutter is open. "My daughter found gloves that can work the touchscreen on my iPhone timer, so that is a big help in the Kansas weather."

He doesn't use the high-end Photoshop —just the very basic $100 Photoshop Elements on his MacBook for editing, and that is usually just to adjust white balance, adjust the fill light, level, and crop or remove an occasional power line from the image.

Mike Cooper on location

Mike Cooper currently lives in the northeast corner of Kansas with his wife, daughter, two dogs and two cats. He started doing night photography in January 2010, and has had no formal training in photography or post-processing.  None of his current pictures use any layers or blends of multiple images.  Mike enjoys making calendars of his pictures for friends and family, but as a general rule, he doesn’t sell his work because he would rather take pictures of things that interest him, instead of worrying about what other people would find interesting or attractive. More of Mike's work can be found on his 'Nocturnal Kansas' Flickr photostream.

Royce's 2014 Workshop, Lecture & Video Conference Schedule: NightScapeEvents.com
Featured Post: Shooting Stars eBook Review — How to Photograph the Stars and the Moon