I'm a big fan of rotating a camera on it's lens axis and producing fairly abstract images. Tonight I ventured out in the dark with a modified camera rotation tool which is now much more precise and definitely more stable!
I travelled over to North Leverton Windmill knowing that Richard the miller would usually light it up in the dark. He sets up a single LED floodlight which can be seen for miles around. I always message Richard in advance to let him know there will be a strange hooded figure in his garden shooting his windmill! And to suggest he gets the kettle on!
Out in the dark calibrating my tool
It's not often I manage to get the alignment on my camera rotation tool this accurate. I've spent ages in the dark adjusting and obsessing on alignment and tonight was a breeze!
This is North Leverton Windmill rotated eight ways at 45 degree increments:
The Modified Tool
This is the modified camera rotation tool where I've changed a part that allows the lens axis to sit central to the indexing rotator. The longer piece here in the images is actually a nodal rail as used by landscape photographers and is much more sturdy than what I was previously using.
Frame
For this one I used the surrounding bushes as a kind of frame to enclose the rotation:
Freehand Faffery
To get the angles of rotations, there's a locking screw that forces the camera in to set positions at precise angles. If you loosen the screw, it's possible to freehand rotate and tonight I spent ages happily spinning! For this one I moved the camera leaving the shutter open all the way around through 360.
Changing positions
With camera rotation photography, only slight adjustments to point of view or the centre of the frame can have a dramatic effect:
Freehand
You know you have the alignment nailed on a camera rotation tool when the circle is pretty much perfect. If the circle is out of alignment, the results will look more elliptical. It's quite satisfying to nail a rotation shot!
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.
Social Media
https://www.facebook.com/fastchrisuk
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fastchris/
Lightpainting 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. Nothing is added or removed in post processing.
If you would like to see more lightpainting please give the Lightpainters United Community a follow and you will be introduced into the illuminating world of light painting!
If you want to see more examples of lightpainting, feel free to check out these guys:
Mafu Fuma | Oddballgraphics | FadetoBlack | DAWN | Mart Barras | Stefan Stepke | Nikolay Trebukhin | Lee Todd | Stabeu Light | Maxime Pateau | Stephen Sampson | lightandlense | Neil Rushby | L.A.C.E.
Join us at Discord
I like the first most. Looks like steampunk.
Thanks Marla, I impressed myself last night! ;-)
MAGNIFICO!!!😎
Thanks @aurikan :-)
The rendering is amazing, especially for the first painting. I really like it!
Thanks @lemouth this is so accurate I suspect that people don't believe this was created in camera!
This is why it is nice that you showed the material and the full device with your post. That may help others to understand that there is no trick :)
It's a common thing among lightpainters where they feel it necessary to explain it was done in one exposure. A fellow lightpainting friend of mine once got a ban on 500px for "photoshopping" an image which was absolutley created in one. I also think a lot of lightpainters aren't really sure how Ps works anyways haha
Has the ban occurred despite the explanation of the painter? Sorry for the newbie question, but I am not aware of how 500px works internally.
PS: I am at the same step for Photoshop: never bought, never installed ;)
I think maybe the 500px moderation staff didn't know what they were looking at. It's become a habit to explain the image was created in one exposure. 500px eventually relented but only because it became a news item on a photography website.
Oh I see. It is a bit sad that they didn't want to make the first move. However, better this than thing, isn't it?
Cheers!
Love that first image
Cheers pal
Great results mate. I like the monochrome look.
Today I will test my new rotation tool in the wild. First day without rain for 4 or 5 weeks.
Cheers pal, I'd like to see your version of a crt if possible. Always trying to improve but after last night I don't believe I can get the circle any better! Tonight for me it's rotating fibre optic brushes....
I will show you the crt if the test was successful. Otherwise it is quite useless. 😏 Maybe my strange idea doesn't work. It is a 2 in 1 tool, crt and nodal point device.
Haha good point!
Very cool rotations 👌🏻❗️
Thanks Max, I had to work quickly with only 22% battery! 📷📉🔋😀
😅 I see what you mean 🤣❗️