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Now reading: 'Light Goes On' - stunning video by light painter Darren Pearson 77 comments

'Light Goes On' - stunning video by light painter Darren Pearson

Published Oct 28, 2013 | dpreview staff

Darren Pearson is a 'light painter', who creates photographs and videos featuring elements that are 'painted' with light during long exposures. Most photographers have probably tried painting with light at least once, but Pearson takes it to a new level in his video 'Light Goes On', which features a skeleton (one of his common characters) drawn with light, skateboarding through various locations.

The character of the skeleton is 'painted' with a small flashlight. Light Goes On was created over the course of a year from 700 individual long-exposure images stitched together to make just over one minute of footage.

Light Goes On - by Darren Pearson

Via: So Bad It's Good, Source: Darren Pearson

Tags: video, other-news

Comments

All (77)

Most popular (7)

Editors' picks (0)

DPR staff (0)

Oldest first

bladerunr50

What a great piece of work, thanks for the hard work that went into this Darren.

Nov 6, 2013permalink

genrxr

People that are posting negative comments obviously have never light painted before or are just frustrated at their lack of imagination and creativity. I watched this and was blown away. The thought that came to my mind was oh my god this was a lot of work and no way, that is impossible.

First rate photography at its finest.

Nov 5, 2013*permalink

Serge Yavorski

Amazing!!! Now can you make money off of it? That's the question!

Nov 1, 2013permalink

BNapa

Bravo. What a treat. This is one of those aha moments. We have all dreamt of doing something like this but never figured out how and never did it... but you did. For that we are grateful..

Darren, you-da-ma my friend. I am inspired to go out there and create images every time I come across a piece of work like yours. Truly stunning work. I can only imagine how difficult it was and how much work it took.

I keep forwarding this to all my photographer friends for them to be inspired as well.

Keep them coming.

You should approach Nike or other sports companies, if you have not already. They can pay you to do more of this type of work.

Good luck. I wish you much success.

Oct 31, 2013permalink

Dazzmon

This is AMAZING work! I love every minute of it.

Oct 30, 2013permalink

thegoodpics

Incredible concept, fantastic execution. Amazing amount of work. Great fun, really enjoyed it. Thank you Darren.

Oct 30, 2013permalink

RoelHendrickx

At some points during the video, I think I see the silhouette of an obscured man behind the skeleton: could be the person who does the light painting with the small (probably bright LED) light.
But when the skateboarding skeleton is on his way from A to B and suspended in mid air in the frames that constitute that movement, I am still puzzled how the man behind can be there long enough to do the painting (must be at least several seconds).
Curious.
I once tried it (much simpler) in a single shot and that was fun.
Roel

Oct 29, 2013permalink

skogredd

The "obscured man" I would think is there since in these paintings the painter in in front of the camera. I would assume he maybe traces an image that is placed behind the camera and where it should be in the frame.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

skogredd

meant >from< where it should be placed. So no one has to float in the air, could even just hold light on stick.

Oct 30, 2013permalink

chrisdimitrak

http://youtu.be/yMpv-exl2MY

Oct 29, 2013*permalink

Light Capturer

Brilliant Work!

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Deleted pending purge

Very nice.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Camediadude

How does he DO that? I seriously need to see a behind the scenes, I am curious.

Keep sharing these fascinating works of art, Dpreview, you guys are on a veritable roll lately!

And so many cameras being covered too I see, there is a lot to catch up on and read, excellent ...

Oct 29, 2013permalink

peevee1

This is art. Buying expensive camera and lens to photograph super-boring subjects with super-shallow DoF is not.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Beckler8

I appreciate your point, but it's only your opinion. You don't decide what art is - no one does.

Oct 30, 2013permalink

fnannini

Great!

Oct 29, 2013permalink

IanBarrigtonWebb

I find it extremely interesting and you are compelled to watch it all the way through, but it is very short and in my opinion could of done with other objects added into the video. For a more spectacular shoot. I do like it and hope they have something even better in the future... add more people doing horse riding, or fire juggling, and surfing, but with light..

Oct 29, 2013permalink

metsatsu

A man's one year work = many men's one minute visual pleasure

Personally, I enjoyed that one minute

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Jokica

Amazing!

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Ron Lebel

Gosh what a lot of work! Gee, how well down. But ... yawn, why is it interesting beyond that? I admit I am not that dedicated, but dedication does not make your work interesting.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

eric23

Simply amazing.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

arieswar

words are not enough to tell how amazing is this

Oct 29, 2013permalink

leemanho

Amazing

Oct 28, 2013permalink

brn

To pull this off with a small flashlight is impressive. Unfortunately, it's not very interesting.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Not very interesting? Heck, most people can't even draw a skeleton that well on paper! Let alone life size, in the air, in the dark, 700 times, in perfect succession, with frame-to-frame movement, *complex* movements, over the course of a year, to form a stop-motion animation.

Oct 28, 2013*permalink

Raist3d

I think what he means is the end product. It doesn't matter if it's hard or not, the end product can "have it" or "not have it."

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Eric Stemen

This is absolutely fantastic! Very cool concept and super good video! Hope you get some serious work out of this!

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Ken Johnes

oh, not very interesting cos there aint any girls in bikini skating along with Mr.Dead ? ;-))

Oct 29, 2013permalink

mgblack74

@brn What have you done lately?

Oct 29, 2013permalink

brn

My critics missed my first sentence.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

KariIceland

Okay for all the nay sayers here: Are you guys INSANE?!
Also if you don't like it, go and make a BETTER one, put up or shut up.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

brn

Opinions are OK, yours included. They don't all have to be positive.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Raist3d

Not liking something as an art assessment does not in any way mean an obligation to do something better or similar work.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Miwok

@Raist3d Indeed, if you will never do anything, you will never be criticized :)

Oct 29, 2013permalink

CameraLabTester

The dedication and effort into making this video is admirable.

...and yes, there is a market for these stuff: Music Videos et. al.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Ran Plett

That is some serious dedication. I would have used a stick figure. I mean why not have the skeleton riding a bicycle showing all the spokes?

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Mr Fartleberry

Unfortunately, today images are worthless. Other than advertising, the black art of capitalism.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

bcalkins

Impressive piece of work! It takes a lot of patience and planning to bring that together...

Oct 28, 2013permalink

skytripper

Cute... but a year's work?! I dunno...

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Hugo808

Triffic!

Oct 28, 2013permalink

keith james taylor

any body remember the" old gray wistle test"

Oct 28, 2013permalink

babalu

Pablo Picasso did this 64 years ago :
http://life.time.com/culture/pablo-picasso-draws-with-light-1949/#1

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Digitall

Yes, nothing new nowadays we use is new tools or techniques, but the concept is the same.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

sdribetahi

If someone invented a time machine and dpr wrote about it, someone would complain in the comment section.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

babalu

Yes, I know someone who invented a comment about inventing a time machine, and complained about it.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Buzz Lightyear

I do not find babalu or Digitall's comments demeaning to the photographer presented here, nor as complaints. They are neutral facts and instructive only (the link to Picasso's "light paintings" was fascinating -- thanks, babalu). I don't understand the derisive responses.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

MarkByland

Picasso may have but he didn't make a video of it that took over a year to compile. The idea may be old, but why don't we all just stop taking photos since every one before us already has.

Personally, I have a great deal of respect for the individual's dedication to getting the project done without abandoning it part way through. It's a nice idea and he should be credited as such. The persistence, alone, is worthy of praise.

Not too many people have an attention span that could see some thing like this through to the end.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Yeah, but did he do it 700 times in perfect succession to create a stop-motion animation? Pearson takes it to the next level, times 700! Not only that, Pearson's skeleton light drawing looks far, far better than Picasso's centaur.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

babalu

Yes, sure. Picasso, compared to Daren Pearson (for whom I have great respect, by the way), was merely a primitive unimportant blotcher who just played with light like today's kids play with crayons in kindergarten .... <sigh> ...

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Digitall

@Buzz Lightyear, you are correct. And babalu put a nice link for comparasion, and why I said there is nothing new today. In this case 64 years ago someone already did this, This is not an invention, but a reinvention.but someone forgot to read the previous comment, when I said that the video shows a remarkable job. Everyone sees what they want to see, and interprets its own way. life goes on ;)

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Digitall

I think that would be more correct, drawing with light, or writing with light, anyway is a remarkable work.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

ianimal

Cool, and alot of work I guess.
The thing got a baby:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkBDRUO8hAo

Oct 28, 2013permalink

joe6pack

completely different

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Najinsky

Is anything actually being painted here?

When I paint with light, I paint an object. So the object is in the scene, and during the long exposure I paint it with light from a flashlight. The object being painted is in the scene, the flashlight isn't.

But here it looks like the flashlight itself is the subject. I'm guessing he wore a dark outfit, went into the scene, drew the shapes in the air and then left the scene.

The mind boggles at how much effort this must have taken. Bet he got a lot of out-takes too!

Oct 28, 2013permalink

boogieboogie

Splitting hairs....he's painting light onto the camera sensor...the resulting output is an image painted by light over time.

Oct 28, 2013*permalink

VadymA

Superb. I wish there was a video showing how he actually does it ...

Oct 28, 2013permalink

joe6pack

Amazing for light painting using a flashlight. This guy must be getting very good at drawing in thin air...

Oct 28, 2013permalink

jhinkey

Excellent.
Just goes to show how creative the human mind can be using a boring digital still camera.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Rbrt

Love the skateboard LOL

Oct 28, 2013permalink

zigi_S

Wouldn't be easier to have lights sown onto the cloth?

Oct 28, 2013permalink

(unknown member)

No disrespect intended, but this seems like a great deal of intense effort and creativity poured into a project with an underwhelming result.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Ken Johnes

No disrespect intended, but it seems like a great deal of intense JEALOUSY and Blah Blah Blah poured into a comment with an overwhelming waste of time ;-).

- No intended disrespect indeed!!!!

Oct 28, 2013*permalink

Irata

What's underwhelming in your opinion?

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Raist3d

Ken -why someone who didn't like the end work equates to someone jealous?

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Ken Johnes

ever heard of sourgrapes ? ;-))

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Raist3d

Yes, I have heard of sour grapes. The question is why his comment is necessarily sour grapes? Why is it jealously if one is giving a negative critique? One does not necessarily follow the other.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Ken Johnes

well then,my Question is, why his comment is´nt necessarily sour grapes?
and Why is it ` not´ jealously when one is giving a negative critique without showing something better of his own ,or atleast pointing someone else´s work which comes close?
sure ,one does not necessarily follow the other.but then one does not always diss the `other´ either.;-)
enjoy your corona with lime with coronawithlime ;-)))

Oct 29, 2013permalink

AmerK

Bravo! Truly stunning. Well thought out and original for sure. Looking forward to see more.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

metsatsu

yup another few more years of waiting

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Dennis

That's really impressive.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

Juck

That's just awesome.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

hotdog321

Beautiful! And creative.

Oct 28, 2013permalink

DanielFjall

I can only imagine how much time, effort, patience and talent it took to make this video. This really pushes the limits of what is possible with lightpainting and stopmotion.

Oct 28, 2013*permalink

facedodge

Why did you copy/paste the top two youtube comments?

Oct 28, 2013permalink

DanielFjall

I figured I'd get a lot of likes by combining the two. I always try to get a lot of likes.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

Derek Dean

I'm almost speechless at how beautiful that was....almost. The only word I can up with is supercalafragilisticexpealidocious.

Oct 29, 2013permalink

IanBarrigtonWebb

Oct 29, 2013*permalink


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