Light Painting Exotic Flowers in Maui, Hawaii
It was February 2020, and Joannie and I were on a fabulous bucket list vacation in Hawaii. While there, we paid a visit to Hana Tropicals, in Hana, Maui. They're a fabulous flower grower on the island.
We asked them if they would be okay with us stopping by the next day to photograph some of their beautiful flowers, and they gave us the go-ahead.
These are the "before and after" photos of the incredible flowers that we captured via light painting!
Just a couple of weeks before our trip to Hawaii, I had a Light Painting Photography Booth at Barrett Jackson, in Phoenix, Arizona. I'd gotten some good leads at the show and planned on contacting them once we had returned from our Hawaiian vacation.
However, shortly, after our return home from Hawaii, COVID-19 was on the scene. It would be a very different year for light painting (and everything else, and for everyone else).
Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it looked in early 2020 when everything hit the fan. We ended up creating over 30 light painting projects in 2020! Some of these were personal projects that I did for the practice, but most were for clients.
From a COVID standpoint, the one thing that light painting had going for it is that it is usually created with very few people around. Typically, it's just Joannie, myself, a bride and groom, or a car owner or two.
That "safety feature" would open up our first opportunity to light paint in late April. And, it would be a dandy of a project at that!
Light Painting a Cessna Citation X+ with Two Mercedes Benz
It was late April and I got a call from a gal who had purchased a gift certificate for a light painting project for her husband. They wanted to go ahead with creating the light painting of their jet aircraft.
The day before the light painting, they asked me if they could have their two cars in the light painting as well. Sounded great to me!
This amazing light painting has a Cessna Citation X+ (the fastest non-military aircraft in the world), a 2020 G63 Mercedes, and a 2020 Mercedes GTR, which they refer to as "Race Car"! - I'll take their word for it.
Joannie was instrumental in the success of this cool project. It's a big hit at both car, and airshows!
This amazing light painting has a Cessna Citation X+ (the fastest non-military aircraft in the world), a 2020 G63 Mercedes, and a 2020 Mercedes GTR! All light painted in a hangar at the Flying Cloud Airport in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Light Painting a Pair of C1 Corvettes in a She Shed
Do you remember that beautiful 57 C1 Corvette that I light painted in 2019?
Well, that car's owner, Jean, picked up this beautiful '58 at Barrett Jackson. She got during the online auction, from the very show I was at in January! In fact, I found this car for her while I was at the show!
Needless to say, once the car was delivered from Arizona that spring, Joannie and I had the opportunity to light paint these two "cousins" together, for the first time, in Jean's adorable "She Shed!"
A pretty cool light painted photograph of Jean's beautiful 57 and 58 Corvettes, right there in her cute "She Shed"!
Light Painting the Front End of a 1957 C1 Corvette
Since it was COVID, and none of us had anything going on (Jean's business was basically closed at this point too), it was pretty easy to talk Jean (and Joannie) into doing more than the one main light painting of her two beautiful Corvettes.
So, we opened the garage doors and light painted the front ends of each car, as well as some of the details of each one.
The '57 was first.
Light painted photo of the front end of Jean's 1957 Corvette in its matching garage!
Light Painting the Interior of a 1957 C1 Corvette
The night was going really well, so we continued with a nice light painted photograph of the 57's interior. This was actually the first time that I'd ever light painted the interior of a car.
I now know that light painting car interiors are so much easier when the car is a convertible!
A nice light painted photo of the interior of Jean's 57, with its matching dice!
Light Painting the Front End of a 1958 C1 Corvette
Once we were finished light painting the '57, it was time to do the same with the '58! So up went the garage door, and this light painting was on! This stunning car has an enormous amount of chrome on both the front end and rear end.
I would return in a few months for a very special light painting that would feature all that chrome on the rear end!
The finished light painted photo of the front end of Jean's 1957 Corvette in its matching "She Shed"!
Light Painting of the Interior of a 1958 C1 Corvette
The interior of Jean's '58 is pretty sweet! This is a wonderful resto-mod in every way, right down to Jean's addition of matching dice!
I know that I'm kind of partial to this car, due to my history of finding it for Jean, but a cooler-looking 1958 C1 Corvette there's maybe never been!
My interior light painting fo Jean's beautiful 58 C1 Corvette.
Light Painted Photograph of "The Cove" on a 1958 C1 Corvette
At the end of the evening, I snuck in one more light painting of the '58. Its Cove!
While it's a relatively simple image, it tells a lot about why I love the C1 style of Corvette. The C1's standout feature has to be the Cove.
All-in-all, that would make it 6 light paintings in one evening. That meant many hours of post-production were coming over the next couple of weeks! That's by no means a complaint. It was great to be a busy photographer again!
"The Cove".
Light Painted Photograph of a Dodge Charger Police Interceptor
I'd been photographing the Robinsdale Police Department's group photos for many years. So, over time, I'd become friends with their Police Chief, Jim.
When Jim informed me that he would be retiring soon, I offered to create something cool for him to look back on his storied career as a police officer.
This was my very first light painting of a squad car with a police officer, and, I'm very happy to say, it would not be the last!
Here's Jim's cool light painted photograph with a Robbinsdale Police Dodge Charger Police Interceptor.
Light Painting a Komatsu WA270-8 Front Loader
They were building a brand new Tommy's Car Wash in our neighborhood, and this big guy was just sitting there for many nights. I just had to light paint it!
So, I grabbed all of my gear and made the short drive over to the site. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stay there. But after waving to one of our Mounds View Police Officers as he drove by, I figured I was just fine!
Our adorable grandson, Ryder, was added in post-production.
Actually, that is my plan for these construction vehicle images (you'll be seeing more of them). Just bring your cute kid to the studio with their favorite construction outfit on, and I can safely add him or her to their favorite piece of heavy equipment!
Our little Ryder and a light painted Komatsu WA270-8 Front Loader!
An Amazing 5-Vehicle Light Painting
I met Steve at Barrett Jackson in January and we got his light painting project photographed in mid-July. And what a project this one turned out to be!
Steve's fabulous Garage Condo light painting project included a 1989 Mercedes 450SL (on a Wildfire Lift), a 1996 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe, a 2003 Jeep Rubicon, a stunning 1980 Jeep CJ-5 (a full rotisserie frame-off restoration), and last but not least, an amazing 1966 Checker Marathon Wagon!
This beauty is also a hit at the car shows, and for good reason!
Steve's incredible 5-vehicle light painted photograph! This one includes a 1989 Mercedes 450SL, a 1996 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe, a 2003 Jeep Rubicon, a 1980 Jeep CJ-5, and an amazing 1966 Checker Marathon Wagon!
A Light Painted Wedding Photograph at Little Log House Pioneer Village
If you perused our page, "The Stories Behind the Light Paintings - 2019", you may recall seeing April and Darrick's cool light painted engagement photograph. It was also created at Little Log House Pioneer Village in Hastings, Minnesota.
It was "COVID" 2020, and so we were not photographing many weddings. In fact, this was our first one of the year to this point, and it was August!
A really cool light painted wedding photograph of April and Darrick, by a 50's Sheriff's Car in front of a Chevy Dealership, all at the "unique" Little Log House Pioneer Village in Hasting, Minnesota.
Light Painting Barbie's Cadillac Escalade
Light painting is not just for "big" kids and their toys! Here's one that was three years before its time. (I wrote this page on our website shortly after "The Barbie Movie" came to movie theaters!)
Our adorable granddaughter, Riley, was in competitive dance at the time, and she just happened to be in a dance that had all of the kids dressed like Barbie or Ken.
Well, she had this adorable dance costume, and she already had the Cadillac Escalade for a couple of years. So, why not create a fun light painting combining the two?
Done deal!
A cute light painted photo of a cute girl dressed like Barbie, and a Barbie's Cadillac Escalade!
Light Painting a Caterpillar 329 EL and a Bobcat T590
I was back to the site of the up-and-coming Tommy's Car Wash. They'd brought in some different heavy equipment as the project was progressing, and, well, they were just sitting there!
Here's a version with another fun image of our grandson, Ryder, safely added in post-production by using a green screen in Grandpa's studio.
A cute light painted photo of our little Ryder, who was added safely to the image in post-production. He's in the finished light painting with a Caterpillar 329 EL and a Bobcat T590!
Light Painted Senior Portrait with a Ford F-150
This would be the first of three light painted vehicles in four days. Each one of them was part of a photo session for a high school senior!
This first one, for Bryce, was created at the conclusion of his "regular" high school senior portraits (with a couple of family portraits sprinkled in there). We met in Stillwater, Minnesota, and simply walked around town creating his senior photos at several locations. When we came to this spot, I knew that it would be darn cool for a light painting him with his F-150.
We waited for it to get dark enough (with Mom and Dad bringing food from a nearby restaurant). Once it was dark, we went to work! It turned out pretty cool!
Bryce's freakin cool light painted senior portrait with his Ford F-150 in downtown Stillwater, MN.
Light Painted Senior Portrait with a 1950 Dodge B2C Pickup
Next up was Josh, and a cool light painting with his uncle's mint condition 1950 Dodge B2C Pickup Truck! Two weeks earlier, Josh and his family had made the trek up to Lake Superior for the majority of his senior portraits.
I met them here a few days prior to scout out the possible spot to create this great image. I knew that this would be a fantastic location as soon as I saw it!
As we were checking out the Dodge in Uncle Mark's garage, we saw the shape of another vehicle under a tarp. Well, it took just one peek underneath to see that we just had to do two light paintings!
The full moon being out on that following Tuesday night was a cool added bonus!
Here's the completed light painted senior photo of Josh with Uncle Mark's 1950 Dodge B2C Pickup Truck. Yes, the full moon was out that night!
Light Painting a 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass F-85
This '66 Cutlass is such a beautiful automobile! I just love all of the chrome and the stunning paint color too! Josh looks pretty darn cool as well!
As is always the case when we add a person or persons to a light painted photo, the option is always there to have a version of just the light painted vehicle.
At Christmas that year, Uncle Mark received a beautiful metal print of the light painting that you see below (and another one of his Dodge Pickup)!
Josh's senior portraits with Uncle Mark's 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass F-85! What a sweet ride!
Unlce Mark's light painted version of his 1966 Oldsmobile Cutlass F-85, all by itself!
Light Painting a 1958 C1 Corvette and a Beautiful Home
The very next night, I headed back to Jean's place to light paint her stunning 1958 C1 Corvette once again!
Little did I know at the time, but I'd be attempting two light paintings that night!
This would be a fun light painting project that would include her cute sheltie, Rebel, in the image too. This Corvette's nickname is Rebel 58, and its namesake is, of course, Rebel!
We did a variety of images with Rebel and Jean during this light painting session. This is my favorite image of Rebel 58 with the adorable Rebel.
A beautiful light painted pet photograph of Rebel, an adorable Sheltie, sitting upon "Rebel 58", a stunning 1958 C1 Corvette, in front of the client's beautiful home.
Light Painting a 1958 C1 Corvette and a Beautiful Home - Take 2
After we completed the pretty light painted photograph of the rear end of the '58 with Rebel, I thought to myself, what if we flipped the car around and did the amazing front end of the car?
If I didn't move the tripod, I would only need to light paint the area around the car, and of course, the car, but Jean's pretty home would not need to be re-photographed.
If this worked, I'd have a new method to "shortcut" some future light paintings. So, we gave it a go! As you can see, it worked out flawlessly!
Here's the fabulous light painted front end of Jean's 58 Covette and her beautiful home!
Light Painting a Caterpillar 330D L Excavator
Our daughter Jen, and her family, live in a nice area in Blaine, Minnesota. Well, the area was growing, with new homes being built literally, right on their street.
This excavator had been calling my name as I drove by time after time, So I left all of my gear in our minivan after Jean's project and headed over to light paint this guy the following night.
I took artistic license and added in piles of dirt that I light painted on their own that very night (yes, I have light painted dirt!). That way, I could eliminate the homes in the background to make it all about this rig! I also added the stormy sky to make the image look even cooler!
This excavator is owned and operated by North Pine Aggregate in Forest Lake, MN.
A really cool light painted photograph of a Caterpillar 330D L Excavator owned and operated by North Pine Aggregate out of Forest Lake, MN.
Light Painting of a Volvo A40G Articulated Hauler
After completing the excavator's light painting, I moved right over to this guy, sitting about 50 yards away. I hadn't light painted a dump truck yet, and this one, being articulated, is really cool!
More light paintings of piles of dirt were added to conceal the homes in the background. The stunning sunset was added in post-production to make the image look pretty darn amazing!
This excavator is also owned and operated by North Pine Aggregate in Forest Lake, MN.
A beautiful light painted photograph of a Volvo A40G Articulated Hauler. This rugged piece of heavy equipment is owned and operated by North Pine Aggregate out of Forest Lake, Minnesota.
A Wedding Light Painting with a Farm Tractor at Deglman Farm
Matt and Nicole's September 2020 wedding was just our second wedding in this wacky COVID year, but boy, did we make the best of this one!
With a fun-loving couple, a great wedding venue, and fabulous family and friends, this was one amazing wedding!
Once the dance was underway, Joannie and I set up this cool wedding light painting with a farm tractor that was on display at Deglman Farm in Princeton, Minnesota.
A pretty light painted wedding photo of Matt and Nicole, with a farm tractor, at their wedding reception at the wonderful Deglman Farm in Princeton, Minnesota.
Light Painting a Homemade Bar at a Backyard Wedding
While we weren't photographing many weddings in 2020, at least the ones that we did photograph were pretty cool!
Jordan and Dannah's pretty backyard wedding was really a great one! With wonderful weather, fall colors, and a great couple, this one was a blast!
Their unusual light painted wedding photograph was one in a million! We created this one at another "Open-for-Business" bar during a wedding! But not just any bar, Dannah's dad actually built this one, just for their wedding day!
A fun light painted wedding photo of Jordan and Dannah at the bar that her dad built for their pretty backyard wedding.
Light Painting a 1964 C2 Corvette Sting Ray and the Client's Home
Things were about to go full circle!
My very first light painted vehicle of any kind was Gary's 1977 Classic White Corvette that I photographed back in 2017.
Well, Gary, and his wife Carol, have another Corvette as well (this one is Carol's). And, at the time of the first light painting, Gary was rebuilding the 64's engine in their garage.
Now the rebuild was complete! Gary contacted me about creating a light painting of this classic car.
We created three light different paintings this evening. The whole car, the front end, and the rear end, just like I'd done with his '77 a few years earlier. The first first one is above, and the other two versions are below!
A wonderful light painted photo of Carol's 1964 Corvette Sting Ray that was created right in the driveway at their home.
Light Painting "Chaos", with His Namesake, a 1957 C1 Corvette
Unfortunately, this one has a sad ending.
The day after I had done the photography for Gary and Carol's 64 Corvette light paintings, I received a text from Jean, our good friend with the '57 and '58 C1 Corvettes.
Her dog Chaos, had cancer, an aggressive form of it. She wanted to know how soon I might be able to come and photograph Chaos, with his namesake, "Chaos 2".
Well, it just so happened that I was planning on going out to light paint some more construction equipment that night and the van was already loaded. I was off to Jean's place that night.
Sweet little Chaos passed away just a few days later.
Jean's light painted portrait with her buddy, Chaos, and his namesake, a 1957 C1 Corvette called "Chaos 2".
A Light Painted Pet Portrait with a 1957 C1 Corvette
One portrait of Chaos that night would not be enough.
Jean had been asking me for one of her light paintings to have a moon in it. But up until now, we just didn't have much, if any, sky in any of her light paintings. Well, that was about to change.
We repositioned the Corvette to a different spot in her driveway. This new location was filled with more stunning fall colors than you could imagine, and an opening in the sky too!
The full moon was indeed out that night (I just had to move it a little bit)! What at a great way to remember Chaos!
Chaos, the sheltie, sitting atop his namesake, "Chaos 2", a 57 Corvette, in stunning fall colors and under a full moon.
Light Painted Photograph of a Caterpillar CS54B Steamroller
This was the project that I was planning on doing the night before. Delaying this personal project was no big deal. It was far more important to get those light paintings of Chaos for Jean.
So, the next night, I paid a visit to this bad boy. This beauty was working in that same area where I'd light painted the Caterpillar 330D L Excavator, and the Volvo A40G Articulated Hauler, five weeks earlier.
And yes, more dirt piles were light painted that night to help block out the neighboring homes. I'm pretty sure that I'm the "World's only photographer that light paints dirt!"
I might just leave that off of my resumé. ;)
A light painted photo of a piece of heavy equipment, a Caterpillar CS54B Steamroller, along with an amazing sunset! This big guy is owned and operated by North Pine Aggregate out of Forest Lake, MN.
Light Painting a Caterpillar 336F Excavator
I was a back on the North Shore of Lake Superior once again! I made the trip up there to photograph another high school senior, Logan.
After a full day of photography, I was heading to my hotel when I saw this guy, just sitting there, asking to be light painted! So I did!
Since it was drizzling off and on that night, the sky was pretty boring. So, to spice it up a bit, I added the amazing Aurora Borealis!
The cool thing about that is Joannie and I took that Northern Lights photograph just a short distance from this very location back in March.
A light painted photo of a Caterpillar 336F Excavator under the Aurora Borealis. This image was created near Split Rock Lighthouse State Park on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Light Painting a Caterpillar CS56B
I had more than a little fun with this one!
After photographing the Caterpillar 336F Excavator, I set my sights on this bad boy. It was parked right by the excavator, just a few feet from Highway 61!
To "clean up" the background, I took the liberty of adding in some of my previously light painted piles of dirt.
Then, since the sky was still cloudy and quite dreary, I added another fantastic photo from that same stunning Aurora Borealis event that we'd captured in the springtime while Joannie and I were on Lake Superior.
A pretty light painted photograph of a VEIT Caterpillar CS56B, photographed on the North Shore of Lake Superior. They were working on an expansion of the campgrounds at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park, and this guy was sitting there just asking to be light painted!
Light Painting a Plymouth Police 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility
We've been photographing the Plymouth Police Department's officers for many years. So, when Chief of Police and Public Safety Director, Mike Goldstein, told me that he was about to retire, I offered to create a light painting for him.
This time, several other officers got into the act and were added to their own unique light painted portraits! This was also the first time that I added myself to one of my light painted photographs!
A cool light pained photograph of a Plymouth Police 2020 Ford Police Interceptor Utility, and Mike Goldstein, the about to be retired, Chief of Police. The photo was created in front of the Plymouth, Minnesota City Hall.
Light Painting Santa's Workshop
Winter was now upon us, and light painting outdoors was now done for the year. However, we had one more big light painting project, and that was Santa's Workshop!
Yep, despite COVID-19, we had an abbreviated visit from Santa Claus. To keep the numbers down, only past clients were invited.
Yes, masks were worn when requested (sometimes just to document the year), and we raised a nice amount of money for Cystic Fibrosis, even though Santa was here from the North Pole for only one weekend that year.
A photo of seven cute cousins, and Santa Claus, in Santa's Workshop during The Best Santa Experience in 2020. The whole crew, wearing masks, were photographed giving the thumbs down on COVID-19.
This completes the collection of our 2020 light painted photographs and their linked backstories. What looked like a disastrous year, actually turned out pretty cool with over 30 light painting projects!
We now have several other "Light Painting Stories" pages that recap projects created in other years.
Thank you for taking the time to check out some of the history of our light painting photography magic. - Michael & Joannie