The original idea was to take a climbing picture using the light-painting technique combined with the night sky in long exposure. I did the first tests in 2008, shooting with film, which made me understand how to make the picture I wanted.
In October 2009 I visited my friend and climber Bruno Dias, who took me to some rocks in São Tomé das Letras and we found the perfect place for the photo. We spent two nights shooting and this was the first picture we made. The picture is a mixture of residual light coming from the city, LED light, flash and headlamps. It is a composition of three different pictures of the same scene with different shutter speeds, white balances and lights. I used 1/250 to shoot the climber; 30 seconds to shoot the rock; and 28 minutes to shoot the stars.
I was very happy with the outcome and eager to produce more pictures using a mixture of different types of lights.
Marcelo Maragni

About the shot

Biography
I began my career photographing my trips around Brazil. When I realized I could earn a living from photography, I abandoned my career as a newly graduated architect and started to go deeper into photography in 1999. I specialized in adventure and freesports, starting with surf photography, but soon broadened to other action sports such as kite surfing, adventure racing, mountain biking and rallying. Besides sports, I also shoot fashion, portraits and dance.
I like to seek solutions and experiment with different photographic techniques. I am driven by the challenge of creating images that are new and striking in their design or execution. I'm always looking for interesting photo opportunities: an expedition, an unusual event, or a shoot with an athlete in a good location. The important thing is to have fun with photography.