What’s photography without light? Nothing, zero, impossible, simply doesn’t work, nada.
Light is the element that makes photography possible — that’s why it’s so important for photographers to understand this element.
But what is light painting?
Like Double-Exposure, it’s a photographic technique that uses a moving, and most of the times mobile, light source to add light under-illuminated subjects, while taking a long-exposure photograph.
Just a simple beam of light can bring a scene or an object to life.
A lot of photographers dislike the phrase “taking a picture” and prefer “making the photography”, well with this technique, despite the previous term-battle, you’re (the photographer) indeed making the photo.
You don’t take a photography, you make it.
Ansel Adams
Light Painting makes you an artist, since you’re not capturing an image as present, but with the light you create the image the camera is capturing.
In a way, the photographer has more power over the final creation.
This technique is not an easy one and can take a lot of patience and practice to prefect, but the results can be very rewarding.
Here’s some of the materials you need for this technique:
1. Camera, this one is a bit obvious, nonetheless it’s important that your camera has a manual setting;
2. Tripod, this is one of the most important objects for long exposure photography, since it’s important for your camera not to move at all during the exposure;
3. Shutter release or some type of remote shutter release, to begin your exposure. If you don’t have any of those you can use your camera’s timer function to initiate the shot;
DO NOT TOUCH THE CAMERA OR THE TRIPOD DURING EXPOSURE.
4. Light source, you can use many different types of light to do this technique. Imagine this light like a brush and you’re the painter, therefore you can use whatever material you want. Here’s some ideas: flashlights, torch lights, lasers, glow sticks, flash, cell phones, or even candles — anything that’s capable of producing light -, just pay attention to the color of the light (LED light source will produce a cooler-blue colored light, while halogen source will produce a much warmer-orange colored light);
5. Color gels, this can be used to alter your lights and add color to your “painting”.
Explore. Practice. Have fun!
If you try this technique share your progress with us! We’ll love to see your results.
Learn more photographic techniques, like Double-Exposure.
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