Light Painting: Edinburgh Vintage Shoot

I have done more photo shoots with Maria than with any other model. Not only does she look fabulous in photographs, but she always has interesting ideas for photo shoots and that makes for fun collaborations.

I couldn’t really believe that it had been nearly two years since our last project. Time flies when you’re having fun. So when I wanted to further explore the light painting technique, I asked Maria if she was interested and if she had any ideas.

Model in a light blue vintage dress and hair against a blue garage door on Circus Lane, Edinburgh — This garage door on Circus Lane, Edinburgh, attracted my attention because of its texture and colour. It also wasn’t lit by any of the street lights, so it was dark enough for the light painting technique to work.

She told me that she had wanted to do a vintage-themed shoot for a long time. Now if you’ve ever met me, you’ll know I’m the opposite of a fashionista. So I had very little idea of what that meant, but having worked with Maria in the past, I knew that I could trust she’d give me some great looks.

I also ask collaborators if they know of some interesting locations. And Maria suggested the area around Circus Lane in Stockbridge, Edinburgh.

Model in a vintage light blue dress and vintage hair sitting on the steps of St Stephen's church, Edinburgh — The steps of St Stephen’s church in Edinburgh may not look like a great location for a photograph. But I recognised two important elements of design, line and pattern. And with light painting, it is possible to make nearly anything look interesting. Adding a lovely young lady to the image doesn’t hurt either!

One of the reasons I love light painting, is that with this technique, one can make some ordinary backgrounds like a garage door on Circus Lane or the steps of St Stephen’s church look interesting. Such is the power of lighting!