This Guy Uses An LED Hula Hoop To Turn His Travel Photos Into Pure Magic

    Lit up wanderlust.

    Alison Caporimo
    by Alison Caporimo

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Meet Grant Mallory, a 25-year-old photographer based in Cincinnati, Ohio.

    Grant Mallory / Via linkedin.com

    Mallory is a recent graduate of Bowling Green State University.

    Grant and his girlfriend Maria are absolutely obsessed with traveling.

    grantmallory.com

    They document their adventures on a joint blog called He And She Travel.

    So Grant decided to combine his love of travel with his passion for photography, but with a little twist.

    Grant Mallory / Via HeAndSheTravel.com

    He photographed iconic National Park landscapes while Maria twirled an LED hula hoop.

    Grant Mallory / Via HeAndSheTravel.com

    "Maria and I have been experimenting with LED and fire hoop photography since she picked up the hobby in 2010," Grant told BuzzFeed Life.

    "The one thing that was always lacking in our shots was a mind-blowing backdrop," he said.

    Grant Mallory / Via grantmallory.com

    "So we decided about 3 weeks before hitting the road that she'd invest in a nicer hoop to take with us."

    They travelled across the Midwest and through a bunch of Western states.

    Grant Mallory / Via grantmallory.com

    Their journey included Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, Badlands National Park in South Dakota, and the Redwoods National Park in California.

    And the results are SPELLBINDING.

    Grant Mallory / Via grantmallory.com

    "We would have to wait until an hour or so after sunset to start shooting," Grant said. "We learned to be very patient to get the perfect exposure."

    So very beautiful.

    Grant Mallory / Via grantmallory.com

    Totally gilding the Golden Gate.

    To make these dreamy photos become a reality, Grant used a mirrorless Sony DSLR, a tripod, and a remote shutter trigger.

    Grant Mallory / Via grantmallory.com

    Here's some photography-speak about his process: "Most of these images were taken with two separate exposures, one to capture the landscape (6-8 second exposure, 5.6-16 aperture) and one to capture the LED hoop (3-4 second exposure 2.8-5.6 aperture). The separate images were then later stacked in post production to get our desired results."

    And Maria used a hoop from Moodhoops Future Hoop Pro.

    Grant Mallory / Via grantmallory.com

    "Her hoop came with a remote that allowed us to choose each color scheme and pattern to compliment the background," Grant told BuzzFeed Life.

    "Our goal was to (literally) put a modern spin on these iconic national treasures," he said.

    Grant Mallory / Via grantmallory.com

    Wanderlust ~magic~.

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