Bridge Over Troubled Garden
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Exploring the Devil's Garden in the thick of night. Metate Arch, Staircase-Escalante, Utah. . This photo shows the celestial movements of the stars over 30 minutes. I love how a single image can show the long passage of time in a way that we cannot perceive when we are there. Devil's Garden involved a 12-mile drive down a dirt road from Escalante. A beautiful moonlit night, I had the whole night to wander in peace and create. While the shutter was open, I walked around with a handheld LED flashlight, and illuminated the scene. During the exposure, all the light I shined on the subject was cumulative. This process is called "light painting." Why? Because one uses the flashlight as a paint brush, "brushing" on light, not paint. Light painting to illuminate subjects is a beautiful, addictive art, as you can walk around the scene, deciding what to bring to light and what to keep in shadow. And it's more fun than AI-generated images.
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For photos, books, workshops and more: www.kenleephotography.com
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(Plate 1762) Nikon D750/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. 30 minutes total "stacked." Each image 2 minutes f/8 ISO 200. 24 June 2018. 21:33.
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#kenlee #kenleephotography #lightpainting #longexposure #nightphotography #slowshutter #amazing_longexpo #longexphunter #longexpoelite #longexposure_shots #supreme_nightshots #ig_astrophotography #super_photolongexpo #Utah‬ #nightscaper #nightphotography #protomachines #MyRRS #ReallyRightStuff #feisol #Nikon #westbysouthwest #escalante #devilsgarden #metatearch

Huntington Dreams of Trailers
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Night falls at an interesting trainyard full of old vintage trains, locomotives, and yes, trailers as well. To create this night photo, I placed the camera on a tripod. Then I lit the scene with a handheld flashlight while the camera shutter was open for a long time. This is called "light painting." It's more fun than AI-generated images.
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For photos, books, workshops and more: www.kenleephotography.com
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(Plate 4082) Pentax K-1/15-30mm f/2.8 lens. March 2021.
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#kenlee #nightphotography #lightpainting #mylensrental #nightscaper #astrophotography #longexposure #humanmade #ProtoMachines #urbex #ShootPentax #Pentax #PentaxK1 #ambientnightsmag #desert #train #urbex #urbanexploration #SouthernPacific

Wonderland of Clouds
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We heard there was a Kp index of 7. Excited about the possibility of photographing auroras, my wife and I ventured into Joshua Tree National Park. The aurora was a no-show, but the clouds showed up. To create this night photo, I placed the camera on a tripod. Then my wife and I lit the scene with handheld flashlights while the camera shutter was open for a long time. This is called "light painting." It's more fun than AI-generated images. Single exposure. After this photo, we went to a local jazz club in town.
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For photos, books, workshops and more: www.kenleephotography.com
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(Plate 8010). Nikon D750/Irix 15mm f/2.4 lens. 22 March 2025.
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#kenlee #nightphotography #lightpainting #mylensrental #nightscaper #astrophotography #longexposure #humanmade #ProtoMachines #urbex #Nikon #Irix #ambientnightsmag

Giving the Side-Eye
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A 1934 Chevrolet truck, owned by John Riley Bembry, who used this to drive to his claims in the Ivanpah Mountains. To create this night photo, I placed the camera on a tripod. Then I lit the scene with a handheld flashlight while the camera shutter was open for a long time. This is called "light painting." It's more fun than AI-generated images. Single-exposure image photographed while Tim Little and I were teaching a night photography workshop at Goffs, along historic Route 66, in Nevada.
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For photos, books, workshops and more: www.kenleephotography.com
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(Plate 4855) Pentax K-1/15-30mm f/2.8 lens. April 2025.
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#kenlee #nightphotography #lightpainting #mylensrental #nightscaper #astrophotography #longexposure #humanmade #ProtoMachines #urbex #ShootPentax #Pentax #PentaxK1 #Goffs #Route66 #MDHCA #ambientnightsmag

Tomorrow is Yesterday
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Before the DeLorean, there was this vintage time machine. Consequently, I am posting this three days after tomorrow. I had fun lighting this selfie! It's more fun than AI-generated images. Photographed while Tim Little and I were teaching a night photography workshop at Nelson Ghost Town in Nevada.
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For photos, books, workshops and more: www.kenleephotography.com
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(Plate 4300) Pentax K-1/15-30mm f/2.8 lens. April 2025.
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#kenlee #nightphotography #lightpainting #mylensrental #nightscaper #astrophotography #longexposure #humanmade #ProtoMachines #urbex #ShootPentax #Pentax #PentaxK1 #Nelson #NelsonGhostTown #ambientnightsmag