Recycle | Task 1 | Inspiration
I was first drawn into this image by the strong, bright highlights across the car and the striking colours. The varied textures of the objects in the background of the car highly contrast to the smooth and sleek look of the car. The clever use of the light painting technique has helped to bring the image to life and created a very 3D looking scene. The photographer has used the light painting technique very well in order to bring out a lot of texture in the details of the car, the clocks and tools on the back wall and the fire extinguisher in the foreground. This is an excellent example of light painting photography by Harold Ross who is considered a master in this style of photography.
The bold colour contrast in this image is what initially caught my attention. This is a fantastic photograph of a beautiful instrument that has been captured incredibly well using the light painting technique. The areas where the photographer has painted the light, and from above at a slight angle has helped to bring depth to the image and separate the violin from the background. Strong shadows beneath the object make it appear more 3D, as do the strong highlights present across the edges nearest the front of the image. The light painting gives the effect of a spotlight, which helps to bring the focus further on the subject. The light painting technique has allowed the photographer to put emphasis on the strings of the instrument and created a contrast between the strings and the body. Julie Powell is mainly a still life and portrait photographer, and she often uses the light painting technique within her work.
In this image, I am first drawn to the strong highlight on the blue object in the centre of the frame. The darkened corners and edges help to create emphasis on the main objects. There is great texture in this image which can be seen on the background the wooden panels, the camera body, the rough edges of the boxes, the worn leather strap and the scratched surface. It is likely that the photographer painted the light at a variety of angles to achieve such diverse textures across each of the objects. The highlights along the top of the clock face help to create a 3D look and separate the objects from the background.
This is another example of light painting bringing out the texture of various objects, for example, the wooden background, the camera body and lens, the old film roll boxes and the bulb at the right of the camera. The bright yellows and blues help to create contrast between the wooden background and the brown camera. The smooth highlights on the bulbs and the front of the camera lens have been created very carefully to produce very rounded edges of the bulbs and circular lens. The shallow depth of field has caused the background to fall out of focus which helps to guide the viewers' eyes into the centre of the scene.
This is one of my favourite images that I came across when researching for this project. It is a beautiful example of the successful use of the light painting technique. This photograph looks like a painting. The shapes of the various objects are emphasised so strongly using the careful use of light painting to the point where they no longer look real. The objects are visibly old, and this helps the photograph feel like a fine art painting. The heavy focus of the light being in the centre of the image almost creates a vignette effect as the corners and edges gradually get darker. This helps to focus the viewer's eye on the objects across the scene. The strong highlights across the edge of the lamp, clock and typewriter create depth and dimension. The placement of the objects across the scene, and the use of light painting to create shadows and highlights between them helps to emphasise the 3D look.
