A fun opportunity arose tonight. I wanted to photograph a fishing pier that was devastated from the recent hurricanes here in Florida but the roads to get there remain closed. Another beach with different scenery was also inaccessible for the same reasons. So back I went unenthusiastically to the Venice Fishing Pier a scene I photographed a few days ago. Dee was on the beach with her husband Larry. They are full time Venice residents now. Dee was undulating a lighted hula hoop and I asked if she would work with me for light painting. Dee is a favorite of photographers in these parts, often attending the Venice Beach Drum Circle, a weekly event where dozens of bongo players rhythmically herald the sunset. People of all ages dance as if entrance in colorful clothing. Dee puts on her show there to the delight of photo geeks like me. She used a hula that displays patters. After the first shot where she was stationery, I asked her to walk across the scene with the hula vertical. It is a lesson to me that there the unexpected often appears to lift me from complacency.
The first shot was a test shot. I shortened the exposure for the light paintin For the light painting, I moved closer to the pier. Looking back, I think it would have been better to have positioned the camera farther back. My decision to make tighter shots was to minimize the ambient light from the restaurant behind me. On a lark, I used a black mist filter.
