Can we paint using light as a brush? The answer is certainly yes and to do it you just need our camera and a simple flashlight.
Italian version 🇮🇹 Here
The photographic technique we are talking about is that of Light Painting which offers us a wide range of creative ideas. The light source will be used as a brush that we will use to draw with light obtaining truly exciting artistic effects. Used especially in still-life, Light Painting is the most effective and most used way by advertising photographers to enhance the quality of the products you want to offer.
It is a technique that does not require particular equipment and can be safely practiced in a corner of our house. To experience this technique what we need is definitely a dark place and a very important thing is a good tripod.
Therefore, in order to get the best out of this technique, the setting must be dark, and speaking of a domestic environment, we keep in mind that the less light we have, the more incisive the effect will be. In the installation of our photographic set it will be necessary to prepare a completely dark background. Obviously if the background is an integral part of the scene, a light ambient light will cause the background to appear in the image. It all depends on the effect we want to create.
While it may seem like a relatively simple technique to use, drawing with light requires a lot of effort. Mastering the various steps means a lot of experimentation, but once the mechanisms are understood, the creative possibilities and the satisfactions will be really many.
To make a light painting shot, it will be necessary to make a long exposure. An indispensable requirement is therefore a camera that has the bulb mode. All SLR cameras have this peculiarity, if instead we want to try our smartphone, some Apps allow you to emulate pose B.
Bulb or Pose B means the use of an exposure time longer than the set times. With this type of shutter, the shutter will remain open until your finger releases the shutter button.
Since we will have to use exposure times that vary from tens of seconds to a few minutes, it becomes necessary to think of a stable support for our SLR. The most suitable solution is of course a tripod, but if you don’t have one, a table or chair or even a ladder, they can be fine. The important thing is to place our camera on a support that ensures its stability.
To avoid any more remote possibility of ruining our photo with an annoying blur effect let’s have a remote control for remote shooting. If it is not possible to find one, you can always use the timed shot that is usually used for self-portraits.
To make Light Painting a necessary element is light. In this regard, obtaining light sources with different characteristics will be like having the painter’s palette available. Each light corresponds to a different color temperature and this will be imprinted in our photo with different shades. The simplest tools are the typical torches that we have in the drawer. If you do not have colored lamps, common tissue paper or gel of various colors to be placed on the light sources will be very useful to achieve the purpose. For tissue paper, always pay attention to the heat that the lamp develops in order to avoid its self-combustion. Safety for your person and the surrounding environment must always be at the forefront.
We avoid reflective or shiny surfaces as much as possible, they could create unpleasant reflections. Wearing dark and opaque clothes can be useful to avoid appearing in photos when we use the light source.
Having found the material, arranged the equipment and prepared our set, we can finally proceed to the settings of our camera.
Do not forget that you are operating in the dark or almost, thinking about using auto focus doesn’t think it’s the best way. If we are in a place where it is not possible to control the ambient light, the solution is to point the brightest point of the scene and focus on the object near the light source. If instead we are in our room, we focus in the presence of light.
Once our autofocus is done, we will move on to block the focus by acting on the auto-manual focus button, present on our reflex, bringing it manually. From now on, we will no longer have to act on focus.
An important rule in light painting photography is to keep the ISO sensitivity as low as possible. We are photographing a static image and our camera is well fixed on the tripod, a high shutter speed is not needed. We are photographing with long times and this in itself brings photographic noise, keeping the ISO low we minimize this inconvenience.
We work, experimenting from time to time with the power of light, so that we can make the best use of it and achieve higher quality jobs. After the first shots we will certainly be led to look for a more precise control of the light beam. The effect will vary not only based on the intensity but also with the speed with which the light source moves. For weaker lighting it will be necessary to move the light faster. Moving it slowly will make the subject on which you will place the beam much brighter.
We will keep the aperture very closed for two main reasons: depth and overexposure. A very closed diaphragm will give the certainty of a sharp scene all in focus with greater control of the highlights and therefore overexposures.
Let’s set the image format in Raw mode, this allows us to have no quality loss in the image recording. In addition, if there is a need for a slight post production, the Raw format offers a wider management of some parameters such as contrast or saturation.
Now that everything is ready, press the remote control button and start moving the light. This phase reflects your creativity, your thoughts, your emotions, your story. Move from one object to another and as if you were holding a brush full of color in your hands, start your painting.
We conclude with some tips to get closer to Light Painting:
- Do not rush. Always check your shots and correct the effect and exposure.
- Do not point the light directly at the lens. Doing so would cause flashes and light trails that would affect the good result of the photo.
- Smooth movements. The brush stroke must be soft and fluid, avoiding sudden changes of direction.
- Think about the shadows. Being in the dark it is difficult to think but some objects of the scene, once illuminated, could create shadows that we had not taken into account and that will be difficult to manage even in post production.
- Width of the light beam. Depending on what you decide to highlight, use different widths of the light beam. A thin beam of light allows precision and intensity, on the contrary a wider beam will give a weaker and less precise light.
- Choose items carefully. If your set includes fruits, choose only the visually perfect ones.
CONCLUSIONS
Over the years, many have tried their hand at Light Panting, leaving important testimonies. Anton Giulio Bragaglia who in 1911 who, with slow shutter speeds, moves the models in front of the lens. Frank Bunker Gilbreth used small lights to track the movements of his company’s workers. Man Ray his lamp in 1935 describes imaginary figures in space. In the second half of the 80s Vicki DaSilva is the most significant name in the environment. Light painting pioneer Doug Wheeler who with his Infinity room remodels and changes the perception of the viewer. James Turrell where the light takes almost a physical form in the major works based on holography. Paolo Scirpa in the sixties uses luminous tubes and mirrors to represent his idea of ”Ideal Light“. Gjon Mili and the trajectories of the skaters, later collaborated with Picasso and Matisse. And also Jan Leonard Wollert, Eric Staller, Tokihiro Sato, Patrick Rochon, Antonio Barrese.
In short, the artists are really many and many are the ideas that this technique offers. Now it all depends on your creativity.
good job
The photos of this tutorial are by © Maurizio Ferri shared on Planet Color Photography
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