Light Painting Objects

   Light painting has become the new fad for many photographers. It has been around for quite sometime, however it seems to have just begun resonating as a possibility in amateur photographers minds. Being an amateur photographer myself, I decided to grasp this idea and make it my own. Why not take photos of objects that are already lit up and moving for me? For example, a Ferris wheel.

   I visited the Christmas tree lot on First and Nees, here in fresno, over the Christmas season. Not to buy a tree, but to take advantage of their free entry, mini fair. It had several rides for dirt cheap, but my eye was on their Farris wheel. Old faithful is what I believe the carnies called her. 

   As I stood at the very top of the tallest ride, Danny Caudle stood with the carny instructing the toothless wing nut to start the ride. In order to capture the lights just right I had to slow down my shutter speed to let in the most light and use a tri-pod to avoid any excess movement. The photo takes about a minute to capture. What  you are seeing in the photo below is the Ferris wheel circling around about twenty times creating a beautiful pattern. 

 

  Some light painters enjoy making orbes by spinning lights on long strings, but what's the fun in that? Old faithful as enlightened me. What other objects are already set up and out there waiting for me to capture in full motion? I'm sure I will come across many. So, stay tuned as I continue to discover these hidden treasures. 

<3 Allison Shockley