Behind the Scenes: Creative Light Painting With a Drone

Drone Photography  •  Photography Tips

Drones are making their mark in the world of photography as creatives come up with new ways to utilize them on a daily basis. Not too long ago we saw a fun Superman clip that was created using a drone and now, as you can see below, a pair of photographers are using a drone to have a little light painting fun. Take a look at the behind the scenes footage:

With a little ingenuity and creativity, the photographers came up with the idea to attach a speedlight onto the drone. They had to find an ultra lightweight flash and the Nikon SB-300 seemed to fit their needs. The SB-300 was controlled from the ground using a Phottix Odin Wireless Flash Trigger and Receiver. They then flew the drone, a DJI Phantom 2, around the lighthouse to take multiple images of it, lighting one section at a time.

The drone can be seen hovering above the ground with green and red lights to identify its location.

Once all the photos were taken, the images were then opened into Photoshop where they were meticulously hand blended together, taking only the sections of each photograph that were lit from the drone flash. The lengthy composite process enabled them to create this stunning image.

The Final Image

To make sure the image was the best it could be, Hall went to the location a couple times to try to capture a more interesting sky. He also used Photoshop to add some of the haze you see around the light beams emitting from the tower. Being able to fine tune every aspect of your image is the beauty of composite photography.