Every year in October, Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, hold a series of evenings where the abbey and the grounds are lit up as the sun goes down. Fountains is an abbey which was dissolved by the English King Henry VIII, famous for falling out with the Catholic church which didn't end well for the monks that lived here....
You can visit Fountains Abbey with details here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/830ecde6-0058-43ed-b1ce-5d5cb020837e/pages/details
Fountains in the mist
Me and a bunch of other lightpainters have been more than once and the event has become quite popular, so much so that I got complained at for waving a big torch and "ruining someone else's shot" I got a bit annoyed but carried on regardless. The sky this evening started off dull and flat but as night fell, a mist descended on the valley creating these great beams.
Ever get the feeling you're being watched?
I saw these two archways and knew it needed a couple of orbs for eyes. Master orb waver, @fadetoblack, was present to spin his orbs which are definitely better than mine. I can make orbs but for every ten spins, I'll get one right whereas Tim's hit rate is better!
Exploding heads
We wandered around the abbey stopping in various archways creating quick to set up shots but this one didn't quite out right but the mistake is all the better for it.
Old school lightpainting
On an earlier trip to Fountains, I went mad with a little "old school" lightpainting. I had some funny looks off other photographers spinning LED lights on wires in the dark... I'm also interested to see how my lightpainting skills have evolved over time; I wouldn't dream of doing this sort of stuff again.
I told you my orbs aren't that good...
The water on the gravel made a nice reflection but you can see how imperfect orbs may make your OCD twich....
My lighting skills at an earlier stage
Over the years I've learnt quite a bit about lighting. For example here I've used coloured LED lights before I realised that gels over a white light make for a better result. Note to self; go back and reshoot this...
Not so polished...
With Fountains Abbey closing too damn early in the evening, we don't get time to polish shots. I don't always get it right first time and this is an example where we were in too much of a rush to worry about perfection. The orb is terrible and the lighting needs rethinking but I show it here to remind myself for next time; don't rush this stuff...
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to create art.
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Awesome set of images. Can't believe you got mist for that first one, the light rays are beautiful!
Thanks Cath, yep couldn't believe my luck either! The abbey is set in a small valley between steep sides so if anything mist should be a regular thing here with a river running through...
Sounds like the ideal location to me. 😀