[Theme Photography] Light Painting

It’s not too difficult for a beginner to shoot a successful Light Painting, let me introduce you to some of the basic skills now!

Basic Principles of Light Painting

The principle of Light Painting is actually very simple. The camera’s shutter is open for a long time, and then the trajectory of some moving objects gets captured. Then some beautiful patterns will be recorded to the photo! After understanding the basic principles, let us teach you step-by-step how to make a successful light and graffiti.

Advance Preparation

(1) Finding the Right Occasion/Background

Because the camera shutter requires long exposure time, in order not to overexpose the background we can look for some dark places, such as the beach at night, the park, or even the room where the lights are off.

(2) Wear Appropriate Clothing

When creating Light Painting, you should wear dark clothes to avoid leaving light images in the photos, because you need to make large movements when drawing, you should choose lightweight clothes.

(3) Bring Enough Equipment

The following equipment is recommended when Light Painting:

1. Camera with Manual Mode (Prosumer DC or DSLR)
2. Lenses with normal focal length (eg 18-55mm)
3. Battery (+ backup battery)
4. Tripod
5. Flashlight or Shiny Object (e.g. fluorescent stick)
6. External Flashing Light (if required)
7. Color Cellophane (if required)

Equipment Settings

After preparing the objects and arriving at the venue, we can start setting up the camera! Here are some suggestions:

(1) Set the Camera to Manual Mode (M-mode)

In order to strengthen the control ability (adjust the aperture, shutter, ISO value), we need to set the camera to manual mode.

(2) Narrow Down the Aperture

Because you need to increase the shutter time, narrow the aperture to avoid overexposure of the background. The aperture can be narrowed down to f/16, f/22 or f/32, depending on the ambient light and lens type. If you find that the photo is dark, you can increase the aperture appropriately.

(3) Lower the ISO

Shooting in a dark environment, using high ISO will increase the noise we need to also extend the exposure time, so lower the ISO, such as ISO100 or 200.

(4) Increase the Shutter Time

After the aperture is narrowed, ISO is lowered, and a darker environment is found, we can slow down the shutter speed to 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or even a few minutes (using the B shutter). So that you have enough time to finish the painting. Note: To adjust B shutter, you can slow down the shutter time in M-mode until the words “B” or “Bulb” appear.

(5) Set up a Tripod

Because it requires long exposure time, we should mount the camera on a stable tripod. This will not only make the photos clearer, but also can reduce the workload, so the photos can be completed by one person!

(6) Use the Selfie Mode

Most cameras now also have a selfie mode. We can adjust the camera to a selfie of 3-5 seconds, so that we can have enough preparation time before starting.

(7) Adjust to Manual Focus

Some cameras autofocus will fail in dark areas. The first solution is to use a flashlight to illuminate the subject to autofocus, or switch to manual focus, but job will be more difficult for beginners. Another point is that you can adjust the lens to manual focus after autofocus (but don’t turn the focus ring), so you can shoot continuously without the camera trying to refocus on the focused shot.

(8) Processing of Luminous Materials/Torches

We can use any light-emitting objects (such as flashlights, fluorescent sticks, or fireworks,) as ” paint brushes”. If you use a flashlight, you can buy color cellophane at a craft store. Cut it and wrap it on the flashlight to draw different colors. One more thing, it’s better to light a luminous object, otherwise the lines drawn may not show up.

(9) Using the Flash

If you want people to appear clearly in the photo, you can use flash to light them up. Generally, the flash mode is adjusted to “back-curtain sync” (Note 1). After the painter finishes painting, the appearance is printed on the photo, it is easier to predict the position. Because the aperture is narrow and the ISO value is low, the built-in flash may not have enough “firepower”. Therefore, it is recommended to use an external flash and manually adjust the maximum output (if the light is too bright, reduce the output) to avoid the characters becoming translucent.

Note 1:
“Back-curtain sync” means that the flash fires before the shutter is closed. For example, when the exposure is 10 seconds, the flash will fire after 9 seconds. The advantage of light and graffiti creation is that you can reserve a place during creation. , It ’s easier to master after you finish shooting the face at that location. The “back-curtain sync” setting of each camera is also different. Entry-level cameras are usually selected under menu, you can refer to the manual for adjustment.

Drawing Skills

There are five techniques to draw a good Light Painting:

(1) Careful Drawing

Usually when drawing a pattern on paper, you can control where you need to connect strokes. But the camera will not know your pattern when painting in the air, to avoid the patterns connecting, we can cover the light with your palm between strokes, or turn off the flashlight. Note that when you cover the light with your hand, don’t use your fingers! Use your palm to prevent light from leaking through.

(2) Writing Skills

If the painter is drawing to the camera, the text will be mirrored. The first solution is to practice writing inverse characters, it is difficult for beginners. But there is another method, turn the camera back and hold the flashlight in reverse (the light bulb/light is facing the camera). Writing it as usual!

(3) Frame First, then Shoot

There is only one chance for a shot, if you fail you have to start all over again. So we recommend that you prepare the picture first and then shoot to increase the chance of success!

(4) Group Painting

There is no need to Light Paint alone! You can paint at the same time and the use of different colors and light sources will make the effect will be more interesting!

(5) Be Creative

The camera settings or skills of light are not difficult. You can use your creativity as much as you want to draw a splendid light with lines, colors, and heads!

Postscript

In fact, the camera settings for Light Painting is not difficult, but creativity is more important! It doesn’t matter if you fail to learn by yourself, please pay close attention to FotobeginnerUSA.com or our Facebook fans page, we will continue to have free classes for members to participate in it!