Photographer Lights Up Abandoned Bus in Australian Outback with Drone

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Travel photographer Donald Yip discovered an extraordinary opportunity when discovering an abandoned bus near Lake Tyrell in Victoria, Australia. The serendipitous encounter led him to create breathtaking night photography, with the graffiti-covered bus as a captivating focal point. One of his most memorable shots features his travel companion perched on the bus’s roof, gazing at the stars while a mesmerizing circular light halo hovers above him.

The photograph is a masterpiece of lighting, skillfully illuminating the foreground through light painting techniques while preserving the stars’ visibility. The golden halo was the most challenging among the various elements that contributed to the photo’s visual impact. It was Yip’s first attempt at using a drone for this particular effect, and he drew inspiration from the work of renowned photographer Reuben Wu, a favorite of the My Modern Met community.

Yip’s creative vision and resourcefulness shine through in the final image. He maximized the available resources to ensure the success of the shot. “In addition to using the drone as the primary light source, we also utilized a small camping LED lantern inside the bus, an iPhone to manually illuminate the bus wheel, and a flashlight to create a backlight for my friend on top of the bus,” Yip shared in an interview with My Modern Met.

The photograph is a testament to the possibilities that arise when one remains open to creative exploration. By embracing experimentation, Yip could elevate an ordinary bus into the central subject of extraordinary images. The light painting photo was just one of the many remarkable shots he captured that night. When they fortuitously stumbled upon the abandoned bus, Yip and his travel companion had initially been looking for ideal locations to photograph the Milky Way. Naturally, they seized the opportunity to include the twinkling galaxy as a backdrop in another photograph.

Yip’s work exemplifies how ordinary subjects can be transformed into something extraordinary. Furthermore, he demonstrates that achieving such remarkable results is within reach with readily accessible technology; it simply requires thinking beyond conventional boundaries.

If you are captivated by Yip’s incredible photography, you can purchase his bus photo and many others on his Website.