Floating Candles

This was shot handheld, using slow-sync flash at night. It surprised me by just how much the reflected light resembles strokes of paint.

Hi Paul,

Very painterly indeed, thanks for sharing. What were your thought when you took this one if I may ask? It is definitely a subject worth revisiting for other combinations of colors and compositions. I like it as it invokes in me the feeling of a mellow summmer night out at the Mediterranean coast enjoying live music and having some drinks with friends.

Cheers,

Paul Abbott said:

This was shot handheld, using slow-sync flash at night. It surprised me by just how much the reflected light resembles strokes of paint.

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Paul,

I like the life in the image. Yes the strokes are interesting as if made deftly by hand. Where did the blue and green come form? This reminds me so much of the picture from an Amsterdam canal taken at night some time ago by Cem!

Cem_Usakligil said:

Hi folks,

I am really starting to enjoy my new 5D Mk II. I was in Rotterdam this evening and I took a few shots using ISO 6400 and ISO 12800. To my surprise, they are very usable. Take the following picture for instance. This was a reflection of a building in the canal.Cheers,

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At the moment I'm just going to enjoy your picture, Paul and look at the dancing relections and think about Holland too. These are delightful ways to explore lighting.





Asher

Just a reminder, folks: don't strip the EXIF and make sure that the © statement is in the IPTC statements. If you are lucky, Nestlé or someone else rich will use it! The other point is, ideally, a color profile should be embedded with the file, and generally sRGB for web use.

EDIT CU: I have moved the technical discussions re. the color profiles into this thread.

Paul Abbott said:

This was shot handheld, using slow-sync flash at night. It surprised me by just how much the reflected light resembles strokes of paint.

Paul Abbott - Floating Light​

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Paul,

Why was the light needed? Was this to illuminate whatever was blue, green and cyan that's reflected in the water? After all, I don't see the direct light of the flash in the water, or am I missing that you, perhaps put gels on the flash itself?

Asher

Cem, that is a lovely photo you have there. Great colours and effect on the water. At ISO-12800 I guess you cannot complain about the banding.

I've been to Amsterdam, and that place is great for these type of shots too.

This image of mine was taken a long time ago in Thailand on a canal (khlong), in Bangkok. All I had at the time was a little old Sony T5 compact. The flash power wasn't that strong, unlike normal flash output, it was set at rear curtain sync.
I seemed to remember it got me some great abstract light trails of the traffic on the roads, and so I used it for taking this photo too.
These light reflections were kind of detached and on they're own in the canal, when the candles floated by 'em, I took the shot.

The candles are used in the Loi Khatong ceremony where the Thai people (kun thai), float candles down the canal while offering up a prayer.

Very, very nice.

Rachel Foster said:

Very, very nice.

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My feelings also!
I'm guesing it would look very, very nice as a large scale print!
Well done Paul.

Thanks Rachel, thanks John.

Both Paul's and Cem's pictures jump out at me as triumphs of technology because I remember how hard it would have been years ago to capture either image with film.

The idea of having ISO 12800 or even up over 100,000 ISO with the D3S makes things possible we could only imagine in our heads before.

Both lovely images and 'impressionist paintings taken with a camera'...this is the second set of images this evening which have struck me for their impressionist 'feeling'. The other was the 3rd bodyboarding picture of Luc's