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Dem bones, dem bones, dem light bones

Photographer Darren Pearson, aka Darius Twin, creates some of the most stunningly detailed light paintings we've ever seen.

Michelle Starr
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr
dtwin_1.jpg
1 of 12 blinding lights image © 2012 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Blinding lights

Photographer Darren Pearson, aka Darius Twin, creates some of the most stunningly detailed light paintings we've ever seen.

Designer by day, light painter around Los Angeles, California, by night, Darius Twin produces pieces of light art that fire our imaginations while at the same time leaving us scratching our heads as to how he does it. We technically do know how — he moves a torch like a paint brush in front of an open camera shutter — but the depth of detail shown in his work is just incredible.

So we asked him.

The images are created by using a long exposure: setting the camera up on a tripod and leaving the shutter open at night.

The characters are made by a light pointed toward the lens during the exposure. Effects are similar to the kind you'd see with a sparkler at night or car trails.

But with each exposure only taking around five to seven minutes, the skill that he demonstrates with each painting — which date all the way back to 2006 — is just superb.

For those who want to get out and try it for yourself, he explains the technical details in the video below. Scroll further down for a showcase of what Darius Twin can do with just a Canon EOS 7D and a couple of torches in the LA nightscape.

Darius Twin (Flickr)

dtwin_2.jpg
2 of 12 jailhouse rock image © 2012 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Jailhouse rock

dtwin_3.jpg
3 of 12 staggering stegosaurus image © 2011 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Staggering stegosaurus

dtwin_4.jpg
4 of 12 terrible T-rex image © 2011 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Terrible T-rex

dtwin_5.jpg
5 of 12 beat on the brat image © 2012 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Beat on the brat

dtwin_6.jpg
6 of 12 invitation to the undertaker image © 2012 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Invitation to the undertaker

dtwin_7.jpg
7 of 12 pterodactyl image © 2011 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Pterodactyl

dtwin_8.jpg
8 of 12 fly my pretties image © 2011 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Fly my pretties

dtwin_9.jpg
9 of 12 fighting raptors image © 2011 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Fighting raptors

dtwin_10.jpg
10 of 12 happy campers image © 2012 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Happy campers

dtwin_11.jpg
11 of 12 sticks stones & unicorn bones image © 2011 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Sticks stones & unicorn bones

dtwin_12.jpg
12 of 12 space invader image © 2011 Darius Twin. Used with permission of Darius Twin. All rights reserved.

Space invader

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