What is used to achieve this??

[Eventer]

Wait - where do I get what the guy uses in that video! that's what I'm after!

 

[Buckster]

Wow! how did you get a perfectly round orb?! and what sort of lights did you use?

After thinking about how I could pull this off for a while, I built an apparatus out of a couple old fishing poles, a pulley, a 2x2 post, a kitchen drawer handle, some wires, an on/off switch, a battery, two LEDs cannibalized from some cheap reading lights, a couple of colored flash filters, and a bunch of gaff tape and hot glue.

The LEDs are on the end of the fishing rods that stick out from the pulley at the center of the device. The pulley is attached to the post which has the handle for me to hang onto and work it, and has a point at the bottom that rests on the ground. As I spun the pulley with the fishing poles and LEDs, I pivoted the whole thing in a circle around the point on the ground.

 

[Buckster]

Wait - where do I get what the guy uses in that video! that's what I'm after!

A lot of that stuff is DIY home made, using flashlights, LEDs, colored filters, plastic tubes, etc.

 

[astroNikon]

This is fun too. You can do that stuff with on-fire Steel Wool (or lights) ==>

 

[Eventer]

First attempt with the steel wool technique the other night! so much fun!

 

[Roba]

Thats cool Michelle, Shag / Shagged rock?

 

[Eventer]

Sure is! or Shag Pile now thanks to the earthquakes!

 

[TCampbell]

I'm late to chime in... but I see three things in the image that hints at how this was done.

First, I'm noticing that the platform leg on the left side shows two soft shadows indicating a couple of light sources lighting the scene from behind. This is likely providing the ambient light.

Second, I'm noticing that the gentleman's arm produces a very sharp and defined shadow (as does his body onto the arm of the lady, as does the lady's hair onto her neckline). This tells me the that the photography likely used a strobe (high and left). It was a pinpoint light source and it wasn't diffused.

Third, I'm looking at the platform surface behind the lady, where the strobe should be casting a bit of a shadow... and it's not. So the lighting in the back is strong enough (or long enough) to overcome the strobe shadow.

With all those observations, my guess is the couple was illuminated only for a split second by the strobe to "freeze" them for the shot, and the ambient lighting was on long enough to light up the background. We don't necessarily know by looking at the image if those back lights were weak and on for a long time... or stronger and on for less time. But I somewhat suspect the latter because someone walking through the image with the lighting that created the ribbon effect is not visible in the image. When I've done this in my youth, I dressed COMPLETELY in black (a black jump-suit and a black mask) to minimize my being detected by the open camera shutter even in weak lighting.

If the ambient room lighting were turned off while the person created the ribbon effect the couple need not stand-still for the duration of the shot. I suspect the ambient lighting was switched off while the ribbon effect was performed.

I don't know that this is what was done to create this shot (there's usually more than one way to achieve the solution).

 

[Mike Allebach]

Okay. I saw a bunch of people visiting to my site from the photo forum so I decided to check in and answer.

I used two stackable 36 leds clipped together and put a tiny bit of magenta or similar color gel on. I don't think it covered the full light. The couple was flashed from the front with with an umbrella & sb800. Room was completely dark. Exposure was probably around 8-10 secs.

I now have the pixelstick and use that instead. I'm doing this from memory as this photo is old (but still one of my favorites), I can't remember everything about this photo.

Here are the cheap leds > Amazon.com : Chromo Inc. Rechargeable Ultra-Bright LED 36 Camera / Video Light Flash with Hot Shoe and Tripod Adapter for Canon, Sony, Nikon and Other DSLR Cameras : On Camera Shoe Mount Flashes : Camera & Photo

 

[Mike Allebach]

Also there was a question about moving in and out. They did not. You would be able to tell. I have another photo of this couple when they did and they appear as ghosts. Again this was a dark theater with no windows.

 

[Eventer]

Thanks for answering Mike! Its a fabulous shot (As is the rest of your work! I spent hours looking through your website) Might have to buy some of those LED's and have a pays with them