Light painting is awesome, but I'm guessing you already know that. If you don't know exactly what it is, this will explain it. Essentially it is a photographic technique that involves moving one or more hand held light sources to illuminate a subject or to create one.
Few people know this, but it's actually a pretty old technique. The first experiments date back to 1889. The first known light painting was called "Pathological Walk from in Front" and it was created by Georges Demeny and Etienne-Jules Marey.
After that, the experiments kept coming. Today, making a light painting is a lot easier and cheaper than it was back in the day. All you need is a camera, a tripod, and one or more light sources. You basic DSLR or mirrorless camera is more than capable of doing the job. As for light sources, there are tons of options out there, from light strings to flashlights and smartphones. As with many types of photography, the gear isn't the challenging part, the idea is.
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As for settings, this is a long exposure technique. It can go anywhere between ten seconds to several minutes, depending on what you want to create. That means a tripod, or at least something to keep your camera absolutely still is a must. Point your camera towards the scene and adjust the focus manually. Make sure you leave it on manual, because you don't want your camera to be struggling with focusing in the dark.
The aperture should be closed down. A value between f/8-f20 should do the job
After that, it's simply a matter of playing with your light source. Believe me it's a little harder than it sounds. Star t with simple stuff in the beginning, just to until you fully understand how it works. After that, you can create more complex lighting schemes.
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If you want the light shapes to be your main subject, make sure you turn off any other light sources. This is absolutely necessary if you want to achieve a maximum visual effect.
But light painting can also be used for other genres of photography. Automotive imagery is a great example of how you can use light painting to make a subject look amazing by painting it with light.
Check out this video tutorial from Kingston Technology to see how light painting can boost your creativity.
Learn more about light painting from these recommended books:
- Night Photography and Light Painting: Finding Your Way in the Dark
- Painting with Light: Light Art Performance Photography