Painting With Light

“Light and colors have always fascinated me since I started photography four years ago,” said Mines student Ronald Kem, (economics and business, Class of 2018). Recently, he has been experimenting with new techniques to create interesting images, such as light painting using a pixelstick. The tool is a six-foot-long metal device that houses 198 LED lights and can be programmed to change into a wide range of different colors that seamlessly paint images, designs and animation on long exposure photos.

This photo was shot on the bridge over Clear Creek in Golden, Colorado. With the help of his friend and fellow Mines student
Brendan Pattison, Kem shot the photo for fifteen seconds with Brendan moving across the bridge while motioning the device as if he were kayaking. The movement, mixed with a program that gradually transitioned through different colors, resulted in a traveling, circular-patterned rainbow. “I saw this device, and I knew that I would be able to use it to create some amazing pictures with friends,” Kem said. “There are endless possibilities to being creative with a camera and some lights.”