Darren Pearson is a light painting artist based out of California who is the co-founder of DARIUSTWIN. DARIUSTWIN is a collection of light paintings of different subjects like dinosaurs, skeletons, and animals. Pearson and his partner sell prints of these pieces of art on DARIUSTWIN and have made the collection into a profitable business. His work has garnered attention across the globe, and he has partnered with companies like Google, Disney, and Apple to create light painting pieces.
Pearson uses a wide variety of tools to create his light paintings. He uses a device called a night-writer, which is a flashlight whose caps can be switched out so that one device can show different colors. This light source is used to draw these paintings. He then uses a camera that can have its shutter speed slowed, and this camera is placed on a tripod to stabilize it. Finally, he uses a remote shutter release so he can remotely operate the shutter. These tools allow the lens to be opened for a longer extended period, allowing him to capture the light painting through a long-exposure photo. Furthermore, to get the background of the picture to show the stars clearly, he takes two photos for every composite image, one of the background and one of the light art. These tools and techniques are further explained in the videos below.
Some important concepts to Pearson are to shoot his photos raw and use minimal post-processing. He believes that this processing should only be used to bring out details and not to create stylization. He also believes in only capturing these light paintings at night as he wants to emphasize the light painting and the night sky. The concept of time also fascinates him, and he enjoys capturing this concept in painting in the form of shifting stars and the moon’s shadow changing. Finally, dinosaurs and rugged landscapes are prevalent in a lot of his pieces. These concepts can be seen in his light paintings, which are below.
References:
- https://www.dariustwin.com/
- https://www.pictureline.com/blogs/archive/light-painting-tips-with-darren-pearson
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/article/meet-fantastic-beasts-created-by-painting-with-light
Painting a Skeleton Tutorial
