Photographer Martin Kimbell uses long exposures and special lighting techniques to create spectacular light trails set against lovely landscapes. To capture each gorgeous spectacle, the England-based photographer attaches LED lights to a hoop and then tosses it up in the air to document the movement. Dramatic streaks of light swirl across the night sky, creating an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere against a dark, natural background.
The innovative light paintings move in arcs and patterns across the ground and through the trees, or burst up towards the sky in unexpected forms. Kimbell captures the formations from anywhere between 30 seconds and one hour of exposure. Though the final pattern is unpredictable, the process of altering the landscape to produce something new and unexpected is completely within the artist’s control. “What I love about light painting is that it gives me a level of control and creative freedom which is rare in most forms of photography,” explains Kimbell. “Through the adding of different light patterns, or by illuminating it differently, I can completely transform the scene.”
