First Car Light Painting
I have done car photography once, in the daytime, and now another friend, T, requested a night one. Light painting instantly came to mind. It is a photographic technique which is a combination of moving lights and long exposure. Just search the two words under Google Images, and you will know what it is.
I have seen photos showcasing this technique but have not learnt the process. All I know is that it is going to be a labour-intensive one.
We each made a list of possible spots to shoot, ranging from carparks, and old buildings, to natural settings. One Sunday morning, we went down the list and scouted all possible options. As expected, most urban ones are not feasible due to security and tend to require permits. We drove east to west and back, ending up at The Grandstand, where we discovered a suitable area for our work. There is some concrete and green, plus plenty of space for multiple scenes.
Visualising.
Fast forward three months later, we went there with all the necessary equipment, vim and vigour. Our friend, K, who was also up for the shoot, joined us for the evening. We had an early dinner at the mall before going for a grocery run to stock up on essentials like snacks and water. After all, it is going to be a long night.
Just before sundown, we had the car angled for the first scene, set up all the gear, and waited for the night to fall deeper. Once the sky had turned completely dark, we began.
My petite camera.
T helped in pressing the remote shutter of my camera while I lit up his car with the light bar. We constantly communicated throughout the shoot as I informed him when to release the shutter after I completed lighting up a particular part of the car. After each photo, I jogged back to the camera to see if the shot was good. Since it was my first time doing light painting, the first hour was more like a warm-up with plenty of trial and error. The same goes for K. We took turns assisting each other with the photo-taking and lighting.
Mini steps. Mini steps. Mini steps.
You can see a small bit of the light painting process in this time-lapse video.
Our feet covered quite a distance despite being in just one area. Finally, at 2 am in the wee hours of the morning, we wrapped things up. While I know this is our first attempt, and the shoot may run late, I did not expect it to run this late. The atmosphere was chilly, something I realised only after switching my camera and brain off. No complaints, though, for it was a memorable evening where we three got to work together again after a long time. The last was way back during our school days.
You can hear rats scampering about under these containers.
Although I was eager to produce the final photos, the reality is that the editing was just as laborious as the shooting - it was time-consuming and took a good amount of experimenting. Then again, everything new is exciting, and all that can be said is that it was worth the effort. Should there be an opportunity for another night shoot, there will be a creative touch with lighted colours and designs.
Our initials. Random. To sign off.
