Once again we have the popular spinning wire wool and the sparks flying off. This was a really popular subject with some exceptional images submitted in to the competition. It is a shame that only 10 images can make the very top category. This image stood out for me due to the location used, I think it is Rydal Cave in the Lake District, a place I have visited many times. It is not specifically Rydal Cave that is important, it is the structure of the cave roof. The light from the wire wool is illuminating every nook and cranny which shows us the wonderful texture of the cave roof. This texture gives an added dimension to the image and while the sparks are undoubtedly the main subject the texture of the cave roof plays a supporting role in the overall image.
Sometimes simplicity is the key to a really good image. The artist has beautifully illuminated a bottle of Hendricks Gin and then added a swirl of purple/pink light which helps draw the eye to the main subject. Was the colour of the light a random choice? Maybe but when I see this image I am reminded of pink gin, it is a subtle hint by the artist but one that works really well and helps to combine all aspects of this image.
A stunning image that wonderfully demonstrates the skill of light painting. Light painted images are taken to the next level if they use the light to enhance an otherwise good image. We need to take into account the subject, the composition and how the light is used. Here we have the main subject in silhouette, a circle of coloured light behind makes the figure really stand out. Light has been painted around the image, not in a haphazard fashion but carefully, to give us the impression of a billowing dress. Then there is the reflection to give added depth to the image.
Congratulations to the artist, a stunning image.
1,549 Images entered
When you have so many similar images submitted into a competition (spinning wire wool) it takes something special to make a particular image stand out. This image has the stand out factor. For me, many of the other images submitted were just about the spectacular sparks from wire wool but in this image the sparks are just one part of the overall image. The wire wool has been really well photographed in this image. Behind we have a river and on the far bank we have a row of illuminated houses which have been exposed perfectly. Finally in the upper top 1/3 we have an illuminated building with what looks like lanterns hanging from the rock face. I wonder if this is a composite image. My reason for thinking this is that we have very sharply defined diffraction spikes on the street lights in front of the houses and the orange lights on top of the rock. While those lights on the cliff face have very soft diffraction spikes. Notwithstanding this is still a wonderful image and all credit to the artist.
A beautiful image which demonstrates 'pre visualisation' (the ability to visualise the finished image before an exposure has been made), then the necessary skill to make the image. We immediately have a connection with the image as we all know the heart shape symbolises love. The artist has sought out the perfect location where the country lane curves in the shape of a heart. It also is a massive stroke of fortune that there is a cottage on one of the corners of the lane. The composition also very conveniently allows for the cottage to be placed on the top left 1/3 of the frame thus fulfilling the 'rule of thirds'. The car headlights have been beautifully exposed, it is all too easy to over expose cars headlights. Finally the glow of the headlights has been given a yellow hue, this is either by selecting a suitable white balance in camera or in post processing. The overall effect is one of beauty.
I love this image, there is so much to admire. While many artists made images using 'spinning wire wool', here we have a professional fire spinner, spinning fireworks. (Please do not try this for yourself, leave it to the professionals). What this achieves is so much more 'action' in the image. One can almost feel the action and magic as the fireworks explode from the staff. I wonder if firing the rear flash through a smoke bomb using a coloured gel might just take the image to the next level. As it stands this is a wonderful image and well done to the artist for making it.
835 Photographers
There is a lot going on in this image, it is almost apocalyptic. I particularly enjoyed the way the sparks bounce on the ground and side walls leaving small light trails. The exposure is spot on, very little can be done to ensure there are no hot spots/blown out areas in the wire wool. The artist has obviously practiced this technique and has become very accomplished. For me there we just a couple of other 'wire wool' images that had a little bit more and so they made it in to the Top 10 while this one just missed out.
A popular subject for the subject of light painted images, the sparking light bulb. and quite rightly so. We all know electricity can cause sparks so it is only natural to emphasise the subject of electricity by creating the effect around an object that uses electricity. When you choose to reproduce such a popular subject then you have a lot of competition. Therefore you need to ensure your image really stands out and I am pleased to say that in my opinion this image really does stand out. It simply oozes quality. The bulb and sparks are pin sharp, the hot spot from which the sparks emanate has not been allowed to 'blow out' too much which demonstrates how much care the artist has taken in building this image. The background is dark which not only focuses the viewer's attention on the main subject but also provides great contrast against the light. One of the very best examples of this type of image and a worthy Top 10 image.
What a great imagination some photographers have. This image is a lovely concept, the main subject backlit in a circle of pale blue/white light, while a similar but larger figure appears silhouetted on the opposite side of the frame. Flowing between the two subjects is a ribbon of blue, wavy light which helps link the two together. We then have a diffused reflection in the foreground, this is subdued enough not to compete with the main subject. When we look at the overall composition the main subject forms just a very small part, maybe just 5%. While there is just enough visual interest in the rest of the image to allow the viewers eye to explore the rest of the image, our eye is continually drawn back to the main subject.
67,090 Ratings
What a really clever image. The artist has used light to create the illusion of movement in a still image. I like the way the artist has used just 2 colours of light, blue and orange, the blue illuminates the bottom half of the dancer while the orange illuminates the top half. The dancer moves through the frame during the exposure and is therefore rendered slightly soft. This can either be achieved using a single, long exposure with a flash set to strobe mode (where it fires a set number of times over a given period), or several shorter exposures that are then blended together in post processing. Either method requires a great deal of skill.
The artist has demonstrated their mastery of this technique and is to be commended.
I love this image, it invokes memories of Star Wars or Highlander, with the main subject stood high, arm stretched up to the sky and a beam of light descending to them. I can fully appreciate the photographic skill and planning of the artist. They have brought together different components to make this image - the Milky Way, the foreground rock, the model and a drone with a light attached to it. They have worked out that a 15 second exposure would allow them to expose for the Milky Way. They flew the drone over the model and shone the light down on to the model's outstretched arm. Whether this was for the full 15 seconds or for a shorter time I don't know but the result is a beautifully exposed model and top of the rock. This could be a poster for a film, it really is that good. I felt it only just missed out on the Top 10, now if it was a Top 11 it may have just squeezed in. My congratulations to the artist on a superb image.
I do like this image. The vehicle moves through the scene leaving light trails as it heads off into the distance. The relatively low shooting position of the artist helps give the image a sense of grandeur. The building are well exposed as are the light trails and make for a really pleasing image. It was an image the hovered around the Top 10 (as did many more) but I had to be ruthless and for me the street light is just too overpowering and drags my eye away from the rest of the image. So this is why it just missed out.
Brief
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One for the night hawks, the gadget freaks and those with an experimental head on them, as we explore the many ways in which stunning patterns and effects can be created using portable light sources, and your camera. We have <a href="https://www.photocrowd.com/blog/154-beginners-guide-art-light-painting/ ">a great article here</a> that is well worth a read before you start. Images must show light effects created specifically for the shot, so no car trails or star trails for example, and light painting for this contest doesn’t include simple strobe/flash lighting to illuminate a scene, even if the flash has been fired several times to illuminate the scene.
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A wonderfully striking image. I couldn't say whether it was created in camera or on a computer, but the artist states that it was created 'in camera' so that is good enough for me. That being the case makes it even more impressive and demonstrates great skill. Once again we see a similar pattern - the artist has an idea, pre-visualises how they want the final image to appear and then sets about creating their vision. The final image has a 'digital' look to it and gives the impression of something out of the Matrix. The turquoise blue is a common colour used to represent a digital theme, in place of the 0's and 1's we have what appear to be waves in the background. The figure looks to be either emerging from or fading into the background while the red and blue 'noise' the is swirling around the figure is reminiscent of the materialisation of objects in the Star Trek transporter. Everything works so well together and congratulations to the artist for submitting such a wonderful image. .
An image that makes the viewer think. What do the sparks in the metal container represent? Is it the furnace that creates the keys, is it a type of Pandora's Box that once opened allows some kind of magic to escape? Only the artist truly knows the answer but by creating this intrigue it captures our attention. It has been well thought out and superbly executed. When working with lights, in this case sparklers, it is imperative we get the exposure spot on by balancing our exposure time with aperture. Too short an exposure time and we don't get the full effect from the sparklers, too long an exposure time and our highlights become over exposed. Here the artist has settled on a perfect exposure. They have also used a secondary light source to illuminate the wooden handle and the front of the metal container. Finally the background is in keeping with the main subject and has been sympathetically coloured to convey the impression of heat, which ties in with the sparks. Another beautifully executed image and deserving of a place in the Top 10.
I love the concept of this image. The viewer is made to feel that they are in the audience of a cinema while the daleks come out of the screen toward them. An image for the Dr Who fans among us. It is an image that has required a fair amount of post processing and this has been handled really well indeed. Obviously the artist pre-visualised this finished image and then set about blending various images and effects together in order to create it.
