Uploads from TxPilot, tagged star

The Heart of the Matter

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 10:25:20 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Things are FINALLY coming together on the job front! I had a phone call today on a job with the news that I have been hoping to get! The perfect job for me! I am super stoked about it and can't wait to get started. This is the same job that I had the interview with a month ago! :-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Shadows that Cry

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 13:22:15 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

The darkness of day
The pain that it brings
Knowing you're there
But I can't see a thing

Alone and afraid
An uncertainty rings
The path is not clear
So fragile the strings

The darkness is strong
It is hard not to fall
Yet I hear a voice
One stable and calm

The voice is inside
Down deep in my soul
Familiar indeed
But yet it is not my own

In it there's light
Though dimly it shines
It will not fade away
Not even with time

Time passes slowly
As though it stands still
The voice of a friend
The heart of the will

I can only dream
That tomorrow will bring
The light of new hope
And something will change

For now I will wait
As time passes by
Alone in my thoughts
In shadows that cry

(Light Painting - Single Exposure)

The flowers that never came to be

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 21:45:47 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Okay... looks like the voting in the LightPaintingPhotography.com contest needs a boost! :-) Please go vote for your favorite... even if it happens to be photo number 16! ;-) Ha!

LightPaintingPhotography.com Contest Entries

Light Painting Single Exposure

We Are The World!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 20:49:37 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Well, creating the earth in an orb is tougher than I thought it would be. I have been thinking about doing this for several years and I have finally made it to the point where I am working on a way to do it. THIS, has been just a bit of technical challenge! Actually, it was a technological and programming nightmare to be more precise! Ha! :-) And I am still a long way from where I want it to be. I think about the only way I am going to be able to do this is to get it motorized and timed with the motor. Not sure if I will take it that far yet, but we will see. I really deformed South America there! Ha!

I may work on it a bit more, but I am getting ready to back off a bit from Light Painting Photography for at least a little while. I will still work on it a bit but I am going to focus my attention on some different types of photography that I am interested in. I think I am just a little burnt out on it all right now.

So, I have decided to focus my attention on getting into water drop and astro photography once again, but I will be diving VERY deep into it this time! More info coming soon on that but if water drops or photographing the heavens is of interest you, then you will be interested in what I have in store! :-)

Cheers Everyone!

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Road Work Ahead

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 20:45:53 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

It is so nice of the city to come in, rip up the streets, and plant some light flowers in the process! ;-)

Sometimes we give ourselves inspiration just by looking at even just a little part of another photo we have taken in the past. Thought about this as soon as I saw the photo that posted previous to this one! Just look at the eyes! ;-)

It took me half the afternoon to program the Arduino to do what I wanted it to do for this shot. But it was worth it! :-) Now, would you have known this was using a programmable device if I had not have said something? ;-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 20:14:44 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

WHEW!!! WHAT A DAY!!! WHAT A WEEK!!!

First thing this morning I was contacted by www.diyphotography.net/ about writing an Article for them on the new Programmable RGB LED Orb Tool Tutorial! So... In a scramble, I have been working on getting the tutorial spruced up a bit with more detailed photos and some added text, along with writing the article for them and getting it sent off to them! And to top it off, it will be featured on the Hack A Day website as well! ;-) So... I have totally set myself up to be contacted from all over the world again with all sorts of questions about it. Hopefully I can keep up with it all! ;-)

In the midst of it all, I had a great conversation with my friend and fellow Light Painter from San Francisco, Julian Cash! He is the founder of The Aurora Light Painters that were featured on America's Got Talent last week performing Light Painting in front of MILLIONS of people and is a really awesome person! I am so excited for all of them! The audience and judges LOVED what they did and they were voted to "GO TO VEGAS!!!" :-)

Julian is one of the most energetic and positive people I have had the pleasure of meeting and I can't wait to see what they come up with in their next act on AGT!! It is an awesome time to be involved in Light Painting! Wooo Hooo!! It has really been SOME week!

I have also pretty much had it with flickr group that I have been involved with fairly heavily for quite a while. The negativity in there along with the childish bickering is just a bit too much to take any longer. So I have decided to start another group and enforce some general behavior rules! So, if you are tired of the crap, and want to be involved with a positive group that is all about light painting of all types, then feel free to join in! :-) The new Group is called Light Painting Community! Just agree to a few simple rules and that is it! :-) I just know that I can't be only one that is tired of the crap. Life is too damn short for it! :-)

Now, in the midst of all of this, I have had to put my LightPaintingTools.com website on hold for a little bit. :-( I am not shutting it down completely, but it just has not taken off as quickly as I had hoped and I need to focus my attention on finding employment. :-) So... if anyone knows of a company that might be looking for someone with my skills and talents, then please send me an email. :-)

Okay... so in trying to think of something unique to use the Programmable RGB LED Orb Tool for, I reprogrammed it today and came up with this! While I was thinking about doing this, it reminded me of a song that I love to play on my Ukulele and sing as well. It is by Israel "IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole and it is his version of the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". This video is a tribute to IZ after his death in 1997. A sad loss of a gentle giant but his music will live forever!

Light Painting - Single Exposure

It's About Time... ing!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 20:30:00 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Playing around a bit more with the Programmable RGB LED Orb Tool tonight. I said it has a 2 million color range... but the colors on the dark end of the scale really do not stand out very much at all. I suppose they would work okay with a higher ISO, but then they would just be... well, brighter! :-) So maybe I better scale that statement back a bit. Probably more like 1 Million usable colors! Think I should toss it!?

Is there anyone that would like to see a photo of the tool itself? Or how about a tutorial on how to make one!?

Light Painting - Single Exposure

The tutorial to make one of these tools is located HERE

After the Rain

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 21:20:14 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

It has been raining pretty hard here for the past few days. I think we received somewhere around 5 inches yesterday evening in a very short period of time! It was coming down hard! While that was going on, I was working on a new orb tool that I have been wanting to put together for a while.

Introducing the Programmable RGB LED Orb tool! Arduino Microcontroller driven and able to produce a range of 2 million colors! :-)

I still have more plans for this in the future, but this is the first step in testing it out. Something appropriate to follow the rains. :-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure

The tutorial to make one of these tools is located HERE

The Rat!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:03:30 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Just a little tribute to Darren Pearson (Darius Twin)! I didn't get to spend as much time with Darren in Death Valley as I had hoped but I did get to witness him orchestrating a few of his awesome Light Drawings! I was so impressed with the Rat Rod that he drew at Racetrack Playa that I had to give it a go and of course, add a bit of color to it in the process! ;-) And I have been so busy the last few weeks since I have been home catching up with things, I HAD to get out do some LP tonight! Just a bit of therapy! ;-)

It was a pleasure to meet you Darren and I hope we get to meet up again in the future!

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Off to Vegas!!!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 06:53:55 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

In a few short days, I will be hitting the road in what I have started calling "The LP Express"! My little SUV with a small trailer in hot pursuit filled with all of the light Painting Tools I have created and collected over the years! (Pics coming soon!) This will be one awesome trip!

My first stop will be be to meet up with jah~ and we will be off to Utah for a night in Arches National Park! Monument Valley, The Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park are also on the list to hit as we make our way to Vegas!

Once in Vegas, we will be branching out to some awesome areas, including Hoover Dam, Death Valley, and some Ghost towns are on the list as well!

And THEN! The following weekend I am hoping to meet up with a few more light painters back in Death Valley for some more awesome LP scenery! ;-)

Things have been keeping me crazy busy getting ready for this trip and keeping up with a slow but steady stream of business as well. But there are some cool things on the horizon! :-)

This were created during some testing of the orb tools offered on www.LightPaintingTools.com

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Once in a...

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 22:13:52 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Blue Moon

The last until 2015

Light Painting - Single Exposure

:) :) :) : :)

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:09:10 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Light Painting Community

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:53:05 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

There is a new group in town! The new Light Painting Community group is growing fast and I wanted to make a formal announcement about it!

Our goal is to become a great central resource for Light Painters, both new and experienced, to learn about Light Painting, share experiences, share the art, and provide a positive place to gain inspiration from one another. And we are off to a GREAT start! We already have a great membership with some accomplished Light Painting artists and plenty of newcomers as well! (Can you tell I am getting excited just talking about it!!? Ha! ) :-)

Thanks to those of you that have joined! For those of you that haven't, come join in and learn more about this unique form of photography where art meets camera! It is a great way to learn more about how a camera deals with light!

Spread the news and I hope to see you there!

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Pioneering Flowers

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 11:13:07 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Spent a little time in Downtown Dallas after the photoshoot last night in Pioneer Plaza trying a bit of Light Painting in the brightly lit area. Someone walked through the frame with their cell phone screen on in the midst of this shot. ;-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Forward.... MARCH!!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 21:22:18 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Still having a bit of fun with the flowers. ;-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Absolute Imperfection!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 20:31:13 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Smile! :-)

Just messing around with the new orb tool a bit more. There is a big storm on it's way so I was rushing trying to get this done. It didn't matter what I tried, I couldn't get the hat on right and the smile was always off a bit! ;-)

When I sat down and went through these photos I kept thinking about the Flickr name of one of my contacts, Absolute Imperfection. In one of her posts to flickr, she talked about how she fell in love with the phrase and concept of being perfectly imperfect! She is such a young girl but yet she has a keen wisdom! :-)

Perfectly Imperfect... that pretty much fits everything! :-) Cheers Absolute Imperfection!

On a side note, the new Light Painting Group, Light Painting Community has been growing quickly! I am really stoked that so many great Light Painters have decided to join in! And just as stoked about the non-light painters that just want to be part of the group as well! Anyone is welcome as long as you agree to a few simple rules, so come join in! :-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Mean Green Orb Machine!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Sat, 09 Jun 2012 17:07:59 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

I was in the marching band in high school and since our school colors were Green and White, we referred to ourselves as the Mean Green Marching Machine! Something that popped into my head when I saw this shot! Another one of those facts of little interest! ;-)

Anyway... back on track here. This is another test of the Programmable RGB LED Orb Tool. I could throw tests around forever since this tool as the ability to pretty much come up with any orb that you can imagine. So... I just released a quick and dirty tutorial on how to make one of your very own! Can't wait to see what others come up with using this one! :-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure

THE LP EXPRESS!!!

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:27:44 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

My ride to Las Vegas and back! ;-) Of course, one can NEVER be sure if they are "The First" at anything, but up until now, I have not seen or heard of anyone having any type of Light Painting Photos mounted on their vehicle or a trailer... up until now! ;-) Ha!

With 5000+ Miles (8000+ kilometers for the normal part of the world!) ahead of me, I think that my business and LP in general will get some visibility out of this! ;-) And that is NOTHING compared to the main reason I am heading to Vegas in the first place! ;-)

MANY MANY MANY THANKS TO jah~ for graciously granting me permission to use the outstanding photo that he created using the PCP (Programmed Color Phaser) for advertising purposes!!

I still have one more big project to finish up tonight and tomorrow and then hopefully I can get everything packed and ready to Rock-N-Roll and do some LP!!! (Can you tell I am excited!?! Ha!) Stay tuned! More to come! :-)

Hup! Two, Three, Four, Hup!...

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 10:34:30 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

As this platoon of orbs made their way down the street, I could hear the faint echo of the leader in perfect rhythm... Hup!, Two, Three, Four, Hup!, two, three, four...

I was doing some Orb tool testing the other night to see just how hard I could swing the LEDs around and see if they would reach a point where they would detach and go flying away on their own! I am pleased so say that they stood up to the test! My test anyway. Of course, my son Cameron kept saying that he could break them! And I have no doubt since I have seen him break a few other things that would otherwize stand up to anyone else! Ha! And it is probably a good thing the LEDs did NOT come flying off since it could have dented one of those cars if it had actually happened! 8-O

On another note... I just made some exciting announcements on the LightPaintingTools.com website! Please check them out if you are interested in reading more! Lots of cool things going on! You can subscribe to announcements made on the front page of the website if you want as well!

Light Painting - Single Exposure

Screwing with the Neighbors

nobody@flickr.com (TxPilot) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:13:17 -0700

TxPilot posted a photo:

Sometimes I wish I could just get a glimpse of what someone is thinking at a specific moment in time. For Example, there are the times when I am in middle of the road swinging lights around and one of the neighbors walks out their front door only to stop dead in their tracks at the site of some crazy man running down the middle of the road spinning a bunch of blue LEDs on the end of wire! At that moment I really wish that I could imagine exactly WHAT they might be thinking! And I am talking about that split moment after the "WTF!?" flashed through their mind! ;-)

Light Painting - Single Exposure