LIGHT PAINTINGPhoto I Ms. Young

Light Painting Commercial

Light painting is a creative style of low-light photography. This approach uses a dark environment, slow shutter speed and an isolated light source to create a blank canvas out of each frame.

What is light painting?

Examples

Examples

Examples

What kinds of light painting are there? Subject-based light

painting Geometric

Spirographs Environmental

Graffiti Patterned Light Orbs Light Stencils Anything you can

imagine…

Light Painting

A camera capable of long exposures

A tripod A light source A dark location A creative mind

Set up your tripod Mount your camera Frame your shot Set your camera to

manual Define your

settings Shoot!

What do you need? The Basics

Light Painting Tutorial

Helpful strategies for successful light painting.

Painting How To

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqEIikVSxVA

Painting with fire

•The Composition• Just like with any other picture, you need to have a

strong composition• That means: good rule of thirds, filling your frame,

good range of color• Think about the boundaries of your shot—you don’t

want your painting to take place off camera• Don’t “burn in” your light source, or your shot will be

over exposed and unbalanced

The Set Up

•Shutter Speed• You need a slow shutter speed

• B mode will probably work best• Shutter opens when shutter button is pressed,

closes when released• If you were using a camera that does not have a

“B” mode, the shutter would need to be set at 1 min (60 sec.) or slower

• Slow shutter speed allows for you to “paint” your images throughout the frame in a single exposure

The Set Up

•Aperture• For our purposes, your subject is going to be

fairly close to you, so you should be using a low f stop.• For single or simple-subject light painting,

you should shoot with an f11 or higher.• If you were trying to capture a larger image, or

something with a greater depth of field, you would need to increase your f stop to a higher setting.

The Set Up

•ISO• The higher your ISO is, the more sensitive

your shot is going to be, to both the light and anything else in the frame.

• High ISO shots in limited-light environments tend to come out very grainy, “noisy,” or pixellated.

• Light painting requires the lowest ISO possible so that the camera does not pick up on any of the extra “noise” in the frame.

The Set Up

•Focus• Because light painting is not a basic style of shooting,

your camera is not going to know what to focus on in the shot.

• Your camera needs to be in manual focus so that the photographer can control what is going to be in focus in the shot

• Obviously, you can’t “see” the painting you are creating, but you can adjust your focus so that your “model” is clear in the view finder.

• You CANNOT shoot in auto focus, because the lens will spend too much time trying to find something to focus on and it will miss your “painting” in the shot.

The Set Up

•Light Sources• There are a lot of different things that will work for light painting

• Flashlights• If you have one, bring it next class!!!

• Camera strobes• LED lights/laser pointers • Glo-Sticks, light wands, fireworks all work, too

• Can be the most fun because they are the most colorful• These are more challenging because you can’t turn them off

• Can overcome this by covering them up if you want to move from one side of your frame to the other without creating a blur of light

The Set Up

Tips for Successful Shots

Just like with

panning, light

painting takes time

and patience. Don’t get frustrated if your first

shots aren’t

working.

Take your time!Practice before you shoot.Have plan.Try new things.Ask for help.Use the equipment

properly.

Taking the shot Have your “model” get ready Have your “camera person” push the shutter

button “Model” must reveal light source and use it to

create the image “Model” must cover/turn off light source

between segments To close shutter, “camera person” needs to

push shutter button again Review shot on camera, revise strategy, reshoot

What now?

Get into groups (3-4)

Plan shots for next time Props?

Bring flashlights/props

Review techniques

Group practice shots

Group shooting time

Today Next Class