Ask the Photographers #2 : Flashlight Graffiti
I was doing my level best to get nothing done yesterday. As I was gleefully stumbling away I came across A.Pic.Co.Tv’s Art blog’s post Picasso’s Light Graffiti published by Life Magazine. So I had to ask, seeing as I am definitely photographically challenged, how was this done? I emailed my esteemed colleagues…

Britt Stokes, boy genius, responded in a split second.
He opened the lens in a relatively dark room, drew with a flashlight, then a flash was fired at the end of the exposure to record him in his final position.
Our publisher, Dr. Michael Roach, emailed:
In a fully dark room Picasso drew the bull(centuar) with a small flashlight facing the camera which had its lens fully open on a tripod, and just at the end of the move the photographer (Gjon Mili I believe) fired the off camera flash that was at the left of the camera. The flash was fired by a manual button instead of using the synch on the camera. Neat huh?
Makes perfect sense.
I’m glad I asked.
(Ask The Photographers #1? Had to do with camera choices for a wedding photographer…)
Image Credit & Copyright: Pablo Picasso’s Flashlight Centaur
Photo: Gjon Mili/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images 1949


























Long Exposure photography is one of my favorite types to shoot. It lends itself to so many things that the eye can’t see, and it can capture a long period of time in a single photo. Fun stuff!
Ryan Cowles´s last blog ..Hiking to Headstones – Granby and Simsbury, CT
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