Technique - light painting on CDs

[ashcroft]

I've been trying to get this right for some time. The mistake I made in the past was not getting light on all sides of the disc. I normally used a flash or table lamp. With these I moved a Petzl head-torch light all around the discs to get an even spread of light. The drops are glycerine, which you can get in a phamacy, along with an eye dropper tool. Glycerine is better than water as it won't move.

I used my Panasonic G6 with Leica macro lens. It's best to be directly over the subject, but most were shot on f/16 to f/22. Shutter speed, in a darkened room, needs to be about 6 secs to allow time to move the light around. Need to make sure the light doesn't shine directly onto the disc - I held it at the side about 2-4 inches above the surface with the light playing across the disc. That's what causes the refractions in the glycerine drops.

Any comments welcome.

Set-up.


#1 This one also had a Raynox-250 magnifier screwed onto the lens, to get in closer.


#2 For this one I used a Yongnuo flash and just kept pressing the TEST button (which fired the flash manually) as I moved around the disc.


#3


#4

[Mike Buckley]

All of these are very nice, as is your explanation of how you made them.

[Manfred M]

Interesting work, Rob. These images as really eye-catching. The explanation as to how you got these shots is quite interesting too.

[GeoBonsai]

Enchanting images! Thanks for sharing your technique.

[vaez]

all image interesting and well done thanks for explanation work

[Loose Canon]

These are very cool Rob! Very clean and "out-of-the-box"!

I would like to thank you as well for taking the additional effort to post the set-up and BTS shots. I consider that essential with studio work, but the studio shooters here don't always. That is just as fascinating to me as the actual final shot a lot of times.

Not posting that makes it difficult (at least for me) to comment if folks might be looking for other ideas. Its hard telling where to start not knowing were the OP started!

Cool stuff Rob.

Our good buddy Mr. Mike Buckley is known around here for glass (and the breaking thereof)! I may have to lobby for nominating you for "Plastic-Man"!

[ashcroft]

These are very cool Rob! Very clean and "out-of-the-box"!

I would like to thank you as well for taking the additional effort to post the set-up and BTS shots. I consider that essential with studio work, but the studio shooters here don't always. That is just as fascinating to me as the actual final shot a lot of times.

Not posting that makes it difficult (at least for me) to comment if folks might be looking for other ideas. Its hard telling where to start not knowing were the OP started!

Cool stuff Rob.

Our good buddy Mr. Mike Buckley is known around here for glass (and the breaking thereof)! I may have to lobby for nominating you for "Plastic-Man"!

Thanks, Terry. I never mind sharing how I do things - I've learnt so much from other people on-line in lots of different places, and most of it was free.

I've seen Mike's glass images - they are very good.

[Loose Canon]

Thanks, Terry. I never mind sharing how I do things - I've learnt so much from other people on-line in lots of different places, and most of it was free.

I like the way you roll Rob!

[Mike Buckley]

Our good buddy Mr. Mike Buckley is known around here for glass (and the breaking thereof)!

Let's not hold it against Rob that he didn't break the CDs. They're a lot more durable than glass.

[ashcroft]

Let's not hold it against Rob that he didn't break the CDs. They're a lot more durable than glass.

Not when you attack them with a blow-torch... My latest bit of photography gear - a blowtorch!

[IzzieK]

Very nice, Rob and the technique explanation is most welcome.