Steven R. Wolf, a Minneapolis-based photographer, created this shot of the ultimate Tootsie Pop wrapper, which was inspired by his sweet tooth and his childhood memories of the legend of the Star Chief – the mythological figure of childhood lore found on the wrapper of some Tootsie Pops.

As kids, many of us were told that finding a wrapper sporting a child in Native American regalia shooting a star with a bow and arrow meant you could get another sucker for free. One hundred of those wrappers meant you got a t-shirt (or a motorcycle depending on how flamboyant the storyteller), and if you unwrapped a cherry-flavor wrapper with the star chief shooting a star toward the center of three full logos, you won the world!

Alas, none of it was ever really true, but these myths captured the imagination of children through the ages and inspired Steve to capture the essence of that magic in his project.

But lighting this shot required a careful configuration of soft, cool lights.

Steve Wolf used four Rosco LitePad units of various sizes. The LitePads were an excellent choice for this assignment because they are thin and lightweight, less than 1/3” thick, and highly mobile. Wolf could run them for hours allowing him time to model the light just right without melting his precious Tootsie Pops. The slim profile of the LitePads allowed him to place them just about anywhere he needed a little kick.

Steve also reported on the LitePad’s durability: “I dropped my 3x12 LitePad several times while light-painting with no breakage, and when I wasn’t using it, I could stash it in my pocket to free my hands. These lights run cool and are cool.”

Approaching this shot, Steve knew he was going to have to solve two problems. The first problem was all of the wrinkles in the glossy wrappers and the second was the shiny candy itself that would need depth added to the colors.

Steve turned to two other Rosco products to solve these issues: Rosco Polarizing Filter and some red gel. Getting enough light into the candy and controlling the wrinkles on the packaging were both accomplished using Rosco’s Polarizing Filter, which was placed directly on one of the LitePads. By rotating a polarizing camera filter on the lens, Steve was able to dial in and out reflections wherever he wanted them. This allowed him to see past the shiny surface and into the textured details of the candy.

Steve also used Roscolux #26 Medium Red on a hand-held 3x12 LitePad that he used to light-paint on the wrapper, allowing him to put red highlights into the nooks and crannies of the wrinkled paper without losing the gloss or detail in the wrapper.

A combination of LitePads for cool, soft lighting, gels for an extra color kick and a polarizing filter to control shadows resulted in an extraordinary shot of a myth come true. Deliciously.