Description

Boyd Cave Lava Tube Bend Oregon.  In this underground horizontal composition, we see the interior of a large lava tube, its rocky walls and ceiling lit by light painting, the far end of the cave disappearing around a curve in the distance.  Ghostly shadows hint at where a man stood at different times during the long exposure.  Lava tubes are essentially underground tunnels through which lava once flowed.  There are many such lava tubes near Bend, Oregon, most of them unmarked or difficult to find.  This shot was accomplished by mounting the camera on a tripod, opening the shutter and leaving it open, then walking down the pitch-dark cave with the flash and occasionally flashing it, painting the walls of the cave with light.  The technique essentially combines many exposures on to one frame, even though the shutter of the camera is tripped only once.  You can see the silhouette of myself in several of those exposures.  See also my similar shot of Boyd Cave, where I also traveled the cave with a flashlight, adding trails of light to the light painting.  See also my many scenics of volcanic Oregon.  Stock photo.