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low light photography

Oct 07
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Bruce Munro’s Light in the Garden Show in Atlanta’s Botanical Garden

By Atlanta, Botanical Gardens, Bruce Munro, flight, low light photography
Last week I got a last minute invitation from an old pal of mine. He said that he would be touring the Bruce Munro “Light in the Garden” installation in Atlanta’s Botanical Garden. His date fell through and he was going solo. I grabbed a pocket camera and hit the door…

Photo by Scott Dorman

Having a pocket camera does 2 things. One, it prevents people from saying “You can’t bring that big camera in here” and it also frees me from obsessing over the photos. I used to shoot things just for fun so the limitations of the gear make is a no stress situation.

The images in this blog were created with the Canon S100 which is the size of a deck of cards. Grain… yeah, we got it. Crazy chromatic aberrations? Sure… we got those too. But, it also captured some of the color that I was seeing in the light sculptures that were lit entirely by miles of fiber optic cable… just like those fiber optic displays from the 1970s… but on a massive scale.

These towers were made of the same oval shape twisted and extruded. 

Did I mention is was pitch black while my eyes adjusted… 

These vantage points are identical but you can see how the colors changed over time.

My compadre, Mr. d

It was an unusually clear night with low haze.

I decided that I would love one in my back yard.

A longer exposure revealed some tennis courts right beyond the tree line.

 The last installation reminded us of the science fiction movie Avatar, and looked like Pandora, the fictional alien planet in the film.

The fiber optic “roots” connected everything together and added to the illusion of glowing organic plants.

See how quickly they can change? Now multiply that effect by thousands and you start to get an idea of the immensity of the show.

One thing is for sure… seeing art like this with your own eyes is something you should not  miss should you ever get a last minute call. However, you will have to do it somewhere else. The Atlanta show is officially over.
Dec 23
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Photographing a Miniature Christmas City by Department 56

By Christmas, Department 56, low light photography
In preparation for photographing a Christmas party, I visited my client’s home to check out the location in advance. I do this in case there are logistical issues that need to be solved before the day of the event.

There was a second reason for the visit which consisted of a room of highly collectable Department 56 porcelain buildings that had been arranged as a Christmas city.

The display spans over 25 years of collecting and many of the items are no longer available. It is difficult to explain the scope of the display and how detailed each building and figurine is.

My task was to photograph the display while maintaining the candle light charm of the city. It would not do any good to set up flashes that over power the ambiance of thousands of tiny lights. Each lamp in the display tended to illuminate the immediate surrounding areas in tiny pools of light… just like in real life. The Christmas tree in the background actually snowed… I know it’s hard to believe… Just go with me on this…

Not knowing exactly how I was going to photograph this was part of the fun. I had several theoretical plans and told the clients, Bob and John, that I was going to experiment. In the scene below, I used a long exposure and a flashlight to light paint buildings.

To get the full size of the collection, I created a mosaic from 5 photographs combined later in Photoshop.

Bob and John have strong ties to New York City  (Bob’s father was a NYC fireman) so it is fitting that my favorite photograph included the iconic Empire State Building. Rumor has it that a wedding will be happening soon for them in a hotel overlooking Times Square. Congratulations to them both.

By the time I was finished shooting the display, I felt like I had actually visited a real city by helicopter. Check out the rest of the Department 56 Christmas City Gallery.

Dec 01
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Corporate Event Photography at ADAC Atlanta

By ADAC, Canon 5D Mark 2, corporate photography, Graphic Works, Holland and Company, low light photography
Low Light Conference at ADAC

I was hired by a long time client to take photos of a special event seminar about Green Design that she was hosting in ADAC’s presentation room. The seminar had many distinguished speakers from the interior design, architecture and scientific worlds and it was important to record this event.

When I arrived at the room, I noticed how dark it was. Their plan was to show slides as the speakers talked about their areas of expertise. Mary requested no flash so that the speakers would not be disturbed.
Luckily, I own the new Canon 5D Mark 2 which allowed me to boost my ISO to extremely high levels without noise in the final images. Along with a trusty monopod and controlled application of the shutter, I was able to pull the job off without a hitch.
My client was thrilled with the final photos of the seminar and the wine party in her shop afterwards, and she gave me a nice compliment: “I did not even notice you during the seminar, but you got the shots!”
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