Growing Strange Flowers in the Dark with Light Painting

See how Finland based artist Hannu Huhtamo created fantastical and strange flowers using light painting. Hannu shows that when the odds are against you a little lateral thinking can go a long way.

With limited light in the dark, cold winters of Finland it took creativity to keep the photography bug going. Because of this he pushed himself to new limits creating amazing, alien like plants. Photographer Hannu has taken the classic photography technique of painting with light to a new level.

Creating Strange Flowers

In the video by Great Big Story you see how embracing difficult conditions and thinking outside the box can open a new world. As Hannu says "Darkness Is My Canvas, Light Is My Brush". While most photographers rely on capturing the world, light painting lets you create your own world. And with polar night's lasting about 50 days there are plenty of opportunities.

Painting with Light

Hannu explains that creating his photo's can last anywhere from seconds to hours. It would depend on the complexity of the flowers. Each light in his toolbox is used like a paint brush while the dark surrounding is his canvas. Hannu explains that he plans out his creations with sketches and also does location scouting. But he doesn't limit himself to common space, instead he chooses to explore abandoned houses and dark woods.

I guess what I take away from this is that no matter the conditions a little creativity can go a long way. Most photographers love to chase the light or wait for the golden moment. Those perfect moments during sunset and sunrise. Sometimes going out there and creating opportunities is more important than waiting for everything to line up perfectly. So get out there, go to places you wouldn't normally go. Take old techniques and push the boundaries. Just because it doesn't exist doesn't mean you can't capture it.

(Image Copyright Hannu Huhtamo)