Light Dinosaurs in L.A.

You know how bad Jurassic Park II gets when the big dino idiots arrive in San Diego? Well fear not, because these light dinosaurs have landed in Los Angeles, not to ruin an entire movie franchise, but rather to look ace.

Dubbed 'light fossils', they were made by artist Darren Pearson using long exposure photography.

Darren sets off his camera by remote control then quickly 'paints' the image in the air in a few minutes using a small light pointed towards the lens.

He explains: "First I visualise what the image should look like and let it serve as a blueprint. Then, scouting for a perfect environment is half the fun; hikes, camping trips, trespassing, etc are all in the name of art.

"A practice sketch helps and I try to take note of spatial markers like rocks, trees, and trash within the frame to help to set points of reference.

"The camera is mounted to a tripod during the shot. With a remote control, the shutter stays open long enough to draw in the dinosaurs. Most photos take between 2 and 5 minutes.

"The glowing lines are etched in by using small lights pointed toward the lens and moved about in space of the frame. Fireworks, light toys and lasers also create different effects and textures."

Graphic artist Darren says he was influenced by Pablo Picasso, who was depicted sketching a bull in light in a LIFE magazine photograph. He thought prehistoric creatures were the perfect theme for his work.

He says: "I feel like dinosaurs are a connection between imagination and reality. We have a general idea of what they looked like and maybe even how they behaved, but there's a lot to be discovered about them and the history of earth itself. There's also an underlying issue of evolution and the precariousness of life.

"I have a love for illustration and love for film, light painting is a way for me to marry them both and not cheat on either."

Images: Rex