Painting with Light #117 - Help me choose

Jenn

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WhatSheSaw

These are all stunning, Jenn! I would love to hear a little bit about how you created them. They really make my attempts with a laser pointer look lame.

I think I like With Child best, but I may change my mind as I look at them longer.

PedalGirl

Nice Job Jenn... really cool. Having a hard time deciding between them tho.

ian408

I like the first one. Looks like a bird.

They're all very cool.

red_zone

I like the WithChild best too... neat photos!
Do you have a DJ friend? I'm guessing these are produced by a 'laser show' box... on a black velvet background?

There are quite a wide variety of styles that can be considered painting with light - this is certainly a colorful one!

joshhuntnm

how do you do that?

Jenn

joshhuntnm wrote: »

how do you do that?

red_zone wrote: »

I like the WithChild best too... neat photos!
Do you have a DJ friend? I'm guessing these are produced by a 'laser show' box... on a black velvet background?

There are quite a wide variety of styles that can be considered painting with light - this is certainly a colorful one!

ian408 wrote: »

I like the first one. Looks like a bird.
They're all very cool.

PedalGirl wrote: »

Nice Job Jenn... really cool. Having a hard time deciding between them tho.

WhatSheSaw wrote: »

These are all stunning, Jenn! I would love to hear a little bit about how you created them. They really make my attempts with a laser pointer look lame.
I think I like With Child best, but I may change my mind as I look at them longer.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments!

To answer how I did this .. I used a computer generated random light program on a black background, and set my camera to the longest exposure that I could get it, so although there was black most of the time in my view finder, the program would generate random light patterns. I must have snapped 130 + photos and deleted a majority of them because the light patterns would pause and speed up in sporadic time sequences. Sometimes all I would get would be one or two lines of light, which equalled DELETE! Some were blurry, and others were very clear.

I've got some more that I can post, but I can't think of names for them yet, so I only posted the 4 that actually looked like something to me.

BTW, I don't know a DJ with a 'laser show' box...

Jenn

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sweetharmony

Jenn, these are wonderful! Am going to HAVE to try this method........

Juano

Nice work! My favorite is #2. Simple and beautiful.

Jenn

sweetharmony wrote: »

Jenn, these are wonderful! Am going to HAVE to try this method........

Juano wrote: »

Nice work! My favorite is #2. Simple and beautiful.

Thanks to both of you.

Earache

Random 3 works for me - I think the moire effects add a nice element.

kentwaller

these are all great, but i like broken heart the best.

red_zone

I have to change my favorite from With Child to Random 3. I can't explain why!

SeascapeS

Are these actually shots of your computer screen?

GretaPics

Wow - that's fun. My faves are broken heart and random 3. Clever idea.

Jenn

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SeascapeS

I think I'd check with Joyce to be sure your technique fits the definition of Painting with Light. I'd hate to see you get DQ'd after all that hard work!

Jenn

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CHANDLERJA

I think the pictures you took look awesome!

But I cant help but feel that taking a picture of something on your computer screen is not really in the spirit of the challenge. To me the photographer should be the one using an external light source to psychically "paint" the image being taken.


But then again I could be completely wrong!

Jenn

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dnie

Jenn wrote: »

I feel like I'm having to defend myself.

I didn't just "take a photo of something on my computer screen". I had to work hard to come up with a method that I could do to accomplish what others accomplish with better equipment and more experience. You make it sound as if I cheated and did something unethical, which really hurts.

I tested this method on 3 computers and 3 different monitors. My first 2 attempts failed. Finally, I ran the program and it only worked on one monitor because it's old and isn't back lit... The program generated random light patterns at random intervals. The same pattern never repeated itself. I had to set my camera to the longest proper settings it possibly had, which isn't much, and sit there and hold my camera by hand on top of a can of nuts and a box of kleenex stacked on top of each other because I couldn't use my tripod with it, and hope that when I snapped the shutter the image that I captured would have something on there that was beautiful. Probably 99% of the shots I took I had to delete because there wasn't anything but a couple of colored lines that went across my screen. The few images that I posted were random images of random colored lights shooting across my computer screen while I was trying to sit there frozen and not move while my shutter was open.

It's the best I can do. If my best isn't good enough, I suppose I should just toss my camera in the trash can because as it is I don't have much in the way of a fancy camera or tools to begin with, but I keep trying, anyway. I have problems taking photos in focus because my hands shake, and use a mini tripod for most pictures, but I couldn't use it this time. I have to come up with creative ways to even meet the goals of most of these challenges, and I was thinking that I was being creative and I came up with something beautiful and unique in the spirit of painting with light. I was even a little proud of myself. The light was literally doing the painting. I can't do things the conventional way, so I have to find a way to accomplish the same goal outside the box. <sigh>

Jenn, relax... It is up to you what you want to enter. I don't think anyone was accusing you of doing anything wrong, I think they were trying to be helpful. They are wondering if what Jag had in mind this time was an external light source, like a flashlight, or led light, that you use to paint a scene. The challenges are ALWAYS up to your interpretation. I don't whether or not that it would be DQ'ed, I have seen things not DQ'ed that I thought were far from the theme. Remember, not everyone on here has great equipment. I use a a point and shoot. I use flashlights, lamps and whatever I have to light things the way I want and know that a lot of others do the same thing. So, you are not the only one having to improvise. You have learned a lot about that in the time you have been on the forum and have consistently improved. Don't let your feelings get hurt from someone trying to help you out though. They were just concerned that you might be DQ'ed.

ian408

I think someone's just jealous they didn't think of this idea

Loving what you've been able to come up with so far!

Jenn

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Jenn

ian408 wrote: »

I think someone's just jealous they didn't think of this idea

Loving what you've been able to come up with so far!

You really love it?? thanks ...... I appreciate that.

CHANDLERJA

Jenn,

I'm sorry if my comment came across the wrong way. It was in no way intended as an insult to the hard work you put into your images or to insinuate you somehow cheated or took the easy way. I have always enjoyed the way you approach each challenge and the way you share it with the board.

I guess the phrase "spirit of the challenge" was the wrong way to say what Seascape said "be sure your technique fits the definition of Painting with Light" All I meant to convey was my interpretation of what I believed was the point of this challenge. The reason I said "But then again I could be completely wrong!"
was because I wasn't sure if what I believed was correct, because it usually isn't

I suck at advice/criticism and mostly keep my mouth shut because it usually comes out wrong.

Again I am sorry for the way my comment came across.

Jenn

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CHANDLERJA

Jenn wrote: »

Sorry for that... Next time, if I don't understand something you say I'll ask you to clarify or even send a short private msg, if that's ok?

That would be great! And thank you for understanding my lack of comunication skills

Jenn

CHANDLERJA wrote: »

That would be great! And thank you for understanding my lack of comunication skills

I'm so glad you are a nice person, Jeromy!

JAG

I do not dq images based on whether they fit the theme or not. That is for the voters to decide. I think that Jen's creative take on the theme is unique and is within the "your interpretation". Voters are the final judge.

Gary752

Jenn wrote: »

Random2

This one gets my vote! It looks like an angel. The purple and light blue light at the top could be the halo. The rest just looks like an angel to me! Good work on all of them though!

GaryB