Palouse Falls in eastern Washington State is a spectacular waterfall that plummets 200 feet into a natural amphitheatre. Photographers have captured many images of these falls during daylight hours. The first time I went there in the spring of 2017, I wanted to try some night photos of the falls using light painting, a technique I had tried only a few times before. This was several years before night photography and camping were not allowed in this state park.
During the afternoon, I scouted a location by the amphitheatre rim. I checked with several other people who were also camping in the park that night to ensure I would not interfere with any photography they might be planning. That night, I took a series of photographs with the goal of highlighting the waterfall and making the adjacent walls of the amphitheatre recede into the darkness.
For each photograph, I separated the scene into different zones and painted each zone with a spotlight, counting the time I painted each zone during a 30-second exposure. For each exposure, I experimented with the length of time I painted each zone until I achieved the lighting effect I wanted. It was a challenging shoot because of the complicated light painting process and because I was afraid of heights.
Upload Your Picture • WIN $200 CashBenefits of VIP membership:
• Download all new issues of Landscape Photography Magazine
• Download all back issues of Landscape Photography Magazine
• Download all new issues of Wild Planet Photo Magazine
• Download all back issues of Wild Planet Photo Magazine
• Download premium eBooks worth £19.45.
• Create your Personal Portfolio Page – click here to see sample
• Your pictures stay attached to your Personal Portfolio Page forever
• Your published pictures are shared with over 300,000 members and followers
• Your shared pictures are tagged on Instagram
• Submission Priority – your submission goes to the front of the queue
• Fast Support – we aim to reply within 12 hours
Create your Personal Portfolio Page and let us share your published pictures with over 300,000 members and followers.
Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor