Vibrant Rainbow Roads Illuminate Forests and River Bends Into Magical Landscapes

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Filmmaker Daniel Mercadante turns rural landscapes into magical terrains with his long exposure photography series, Rainbow Road. The collection of images sees a multicolored neon trail illuminate the landscape and seemingly take on a life of its own, as it snakes over quiet hills, weaves through forest trees, and twists around street corners.

Resembling a real-life Mario Kart race track, the series was made using a custom-built lighting rig covered in rainbow-colored gels. Mercadante ran across the landscape with the rig while his camera—set to a slow shutter speed—captured the scenes, blurring the movements onto one long rainbow road.

Though Mercadante mostly works on producing films with his wife Katina (together known as The Mercadantes), the artist reveals that exploring still image was a welcome challenge. He explains, “After so many years focused on the moving image, I’ve struggled with singularly caught moments in still imagery—so I love how this project still requires images to be captured over 15sec-1 minute, so in some way they require the same passages of time that a shot in one of our short films might.”

So far, Mercadante’s rainbow roads have appeared in the Connecticut countryside and Guatemala. The artist hopes to continue the series in locations across the world. You can stay updated with the series on Instagram.

Filmmaker Daniel Mercadante turns rural landscapes into magical terrains with his long exposure photography series, Rainbow Road.

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

The collection of images sees a multicolored neon trail illuminate the landscape and seemingly take on a life of its own, as it snakes over quiet hills, weaves through forest trees, and twists around street corners.

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Resembling a real-life Mario Kart race track, the series was made using a custom-built lighting rig covered in rainbow-colored gels.

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Rainbow Road Long Exposure Photography by Daniel Mercadante

Daniel Mercadante: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Vimeo

My Modern met granted permission to use photos by Daniel Mercadante.

Related Articles:

Long Exposure Photos Capture the Swirling Star Trails Across the Namib Desert

Long Exposure Photos Capture Drones “Painting” Light Halos Over Mountains

Long Exposure Photos Capture the Motions of Kayakers and Canoers Through Light and Color

Long Exposures Capture WiFi Signals as Eerie Patterns of Color

Magnificent Mirror Symmetry Long Exposures of Nighttime Japan

Emma Taggart

Emma Taggart is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. Originally from Northern Ireland, she is an artist now based in Berlin. After graduating with a BA in Fashion and Textile Design in 2013, Emma decided to combine her love of art with her passion for writing. Emma has contributed to various art and culture publications, with an aim to promote and share the work of inspiring modern creatives. While she writes every day, she’s also devoted to her own creative outlet—Emma hand-draws illustrations and is currently learning 2D animation.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content