To celebrate New Year’s Eve, we took a photograph using the light painting technique to draw the figure of a Christmas tree using drones, LED lights and fluorescent bars.
The technique was discovered in 1914 by the industrial engineer Frank Gilbreth and spread thanks to the photographer Man Ray and the plastic artist Pablo Picasso, It is a technique that consists of taking a long exposure photograph while a light source moves in front of the camera, leaving a trail that allows creating all kinds of shapes and effects. Although the concept is apparently simple, mastering the time of exposure and the drawing line is key to expanding the possibilities of this technique.
In order to do this exercise during the night and without the help of other light sources that could veil the photograph or affect the image result, the LED lights and fluorescent bars were the only visual reference when flying the drone. Flying in the dark, far from giving precise or symmetrical results, was an opportunity to create and explore our creativity as a team.
The final image, composed of several photographs with an exposure time of 30 seconds each, had as its main challenges; the flight of the drone drawing circles at different heights in the dark, capturing each attempt in the same frame, and achieving the necessary depth of field to be able to focus the light trail despite the movements of the drone.
We are excited every time we can explore the possibilities of the technology we use to offer our services, more so when it encourages creativity and other expressions of the work we can do as a team. If you want to know more about the technique we suggest you see the interview with photographer Alexander Seeley where he talks in detail about the technical and creative process behind his work.
CREDITS
Photography and editing: Ulises Santamaría
Production: Andrés Arzate
Drone pilots: Pedro Olivares and Mario Padilla
EQUIPMENT
Dji Mavic Air 2
Dji Phantom 4 Pro V2.0
Shen drones Squirt V2
GoPro Hero 9
Foxeer predator 4
T motor F1507
Crossfire nano rx
Gemfan ducted 75mm prop
Canon 6D Mark II
Canon lense 24 – 105 mm
