Here you see some Drone Light Painting examples where the Drone took the image and the Light Painting is performed on the ground or surface the drone is looking at. In difference to what most people associate with Drone Light Painting where the Light is attached to the drone, here we trust the drone to hold a position as still as possible and use the drone camera for long exposure. With the latest drone models that works better and better. But see for yourself.
Maryhill Stonehenge, Washington State, USA – with the help of Dan, Natalia and Reagan
Viewing Plattform near Mt. Fuji, Japan
Lazy in the Grass, Berlin, Germany
Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia
Excavator in Görlitz, Germany
Light Paintings when the Drone has some light attached and a camera is on the ground:
Most Photographers often refer to Drone Light Painting as a creative technique in which a drone equipped with colored LED lights is used to draw patterns or shapes in the air while a long exposure photograph is taken. The result is a photograph that appears to show trails of light moving through the air, creating a unique and visually striking image.
To create a drone light painting photograph, the photographer first sets up a camera on a tripod and selects a long exposure setting. The drone is then flown through the air in a predetermined pattern, using its LED lights to draw lines or shapes. As the camera’s shutter is open for an extended period of time, the movement of the drone and the light it emits are captured in the photograph.
Drone light painting can be used to create a variety of different effects, from simple lines and shapes to more complex patterns and designs. It can also be combined with other techniques, such as light graffiti or light drawing, to create even more intricate and imaginative images.
Shadows are a key indicator and often the basis for us to understand the dimensions of an object. Depending on how the light hits the surface we see some sort of texture. Most of the time that light comes from the sun and we are used to certain angles we are used to. with Light Painting, all that can change and the LightPainter decides from what angle the light comes. That can make the image much more interesting and makes the viewer wonder how that came about.
Using a drone as a light source provides familiar yet different angles from where we are used to the sun shining from above. The sun does that every day and we know what to expect. Yet the sky being dark is not familiar. That’s the charm of Drone Light Paintings. We do see strong shadows yet it’s hard to understand at first where the light was.
What almost looks like a backdrop for an aquarium are some of the hoodoos at the Paint Mines Interpretive Park near Calhan in Colorado. 2022
What you see is a single-exposure Light Painting with a 21-second open shutter. The Camera was set to ISO 500 and the Laowa 12mm Zero D F2.8 Lens was set to F11. For this shot, I attached two flashlights to the Mavic Pro 2 drone with a steel wire. The flashlights would dangle back and for the while, I would move across the scene, just high enough not to be seen in the picture.
The Tree’s Heart Beat – Drone Light Painting
One of my last years travels also brought me to Lisbon and the coast of Portugal. Right next to the property of that friend I found this wonderful tree. Attaching a little light to my drone and flying next to the tree gave me this wonderful picture. So the tree has been only lit by the LED light on the drone. The exposure time here is 31sec. at ISO 50 using my Canon EOS 5D Mark IV.
Funny side note: the owner of the next property thought this is a police drone and tried to shoot it down with an air rifle. He didn’t get it so I am still flying.
So glad I was when I saw my Canon was actually in Bulb mode running and I got the shot of me crashing my DJI MavicPro drone into the tree. Attached was a smell Lumecube. It crashed into it and fell down from branch to branch to the ground. Apart from the damage to the drone I really really love the picture.
Berlin, Germany
Just after that photograph was taken, my DJI Mavic Pro drone was crashing into the rocks. Attached was a smell Lumecube. White Pocket, Arizona, USA
Here you’ll find some Drone Light Painting examples. Some are taken by the Drone or the Drone that has become the source of light.
I started off with a DJI Phantom3. Today I call a Mavic Pro and a Mavic Pro2 my own. I use the Mavic Pro only as a slight source because it has crashed a few times and I can’t really rely on it anymore as well as the superior Image Quality of the Mavic Pro2.
Two of the coolest Drone Light Paintings I ever directed and got to execute are the two following examples. These came to life with the help of a lot of people because it’s more complicated than you think. Anyhow, both photos are group Light Paintings taken at White Pocket Arizona during our annual Meteor Jam. These shots are not taken by my drone but under my directions and concept. Thank you Zach fallen for sharing the photos with me to show you.
Melting rocks. Meteor Jam – 2018 Group Light Painting
This was our first group photograph at the Meteor Jam. Here I flew the drone high above the dragon tail area at White Pocket. Everyone chose an area to stand and light up its surroundings. I hoped that the area will get nicely illuminated knowingly creating a patchwork of lit areas certainly not complete. With the low angle at which the rocks were lit, I expected the texture to be breathtaking. What do you think? Did it work?
Thank you all, you helped with this shot. Thank you, Dan, Natalia, Reagan, Russel, Jake, Ingrid, Zach, Juli, Margarita, Derek, & Andrius
Dinosaur skin. Meteor Jam – 2018 Group Light Painting
It looks really otherworldly for us laying on this surface. With the right light applied to it, it looks amazing.
Everyone doubted that this would ever work. After some exchange of ideas, all said let’s test this. Since I crashed my drone (and its camera during the shot above) we used Zach’s drone. Everyone had to lie down and pose somewhat interestingly. As I said for this shot, Zack was operating the drone to capture the Light Painting while Jake was operating the light to sweep over us. Seeing the result everyone was super excited.
If you are seriously interested in how this was made check out this part of the Meteor Jam 2018 – Making of Video.
It is not that complicated. Really! This is a simple DIY setup with my LED-Lenser Flashlight. Nothing fancy just some tape and take off! I would not attach one of those huge LED-Lenser X21.r.2 on the Mavic Pro 2 but it is pretty capable of lifting some 500g torch or light painting tool. Just give it a try and hope for little to no wind.
Good Luck!
