Light painting

Light painting, also known as light drawing is a photographic technique in which exposures are made usually at night or in a darkened room by moving a hand-held light source or by moving the camera. In many cases the light source itself does not have to appear in the image. The term light painting also encompasses images lit from outside the frame with hand-held light sources.

Moving the light source

The light can either be used to selectively illuminate parts of the subject or to "paint" a picture by shining it directly into the camera lens. Light painting requires a sufficiently slow shutter speed, usually a second or more. Like night photography, it has grown in popularity since the advent of digital cameras because they allow photographers to see the results of their work immediately.

Light painting can take on the characteristics of a quick pencil sketch. Pablo Picasso was photographed in 1924 doing a quick sketch in the air. [cite web | url=http://www.computerarts.co.uk/tutorials/2d__and__photoshop/painting_with_light | title=Painting with light | publisher=Computer Arts | accessdate=2007-09-26]

Flash lights or light pens can also be used to create Full Bleed images. Different colored lights can be used to project an image on the CCD.

Moving the camera

Light painting by moving the camera, also called camera painting, is the antithesis of traditional photography. At night, or in a dark room, the camera can be taken off the tripod and used like a paintbrush. An example is using the night sky as the canvas, the camera as the brush and cityscapes (amongst other light sources) as the palette. Putting energy into moving the camera by stroking lights, making patterns and laying down backgrounds can create abstract artistic images. Also known as "Camera Toss."

Making a light painting doesn't necessarily need to be done in a dark room or at night. Sometimes using artificial light, like LEDs and mobile phones, or through the limited sunlight beaming in a curtained room creates a shadowing effect. Using a mirror creates a double image, which adds up to a more creative result.

Technique and equipment

A variety of light sources can be used, ranging from simple flashlights to dedicated devices like the Hosemaster, which uses a fiber optic light pen. [cite web | url=http://photo.net/learn/studio/primer | title=Studio Photography | first=Philip | last=Greenspun | month=January | year=2007 | publisher=Photo.net | accessdate=2007-09-26] Other sources of light including candles, matches, lighter flints, and Poi are also popular.

A tripod is usually necessary due to the long exposure times involved. Alternatively, the camera may be placed on or braced against a table or other solid support. A shutter release cable or self timer is generally employed in order to minimize camera shake. Color Gels can also be used to color the light sources.

Manual focus is often used since autofocus systems may not perform well in low light. In addition, photographers often use a slow film speed or low ISO setting on a digital sensor to minimize grain (or digital noise) and increase exposure tolerance, as evaluating exposure is often tricky.

When moving the camera, longer exposures can create more intricate images, however ambient light becomes an issue as it can wash out the image.

References

See also

* Night photography
* Kinetic photography

External links

* [http://light-drawing-group.deviantart.com/ Light Drwaing groupe from Quebec, Canada] The Light Drawing Group experimented with many items and technics
* [http://www.lostamerica.com/ Lost America Night Photography] Light Painted night photography with strobe flashes and flashlights
* [http://www.alphamountworld.com/photography-articles/painting-with-light Light Painting] Digital Photography Light Painting Tutorial
* [http://www.flickr.com/groups/lightpainted/ 'lightpainted' group] on Flickr
* [http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2007/07/09/colored-in-dancing-lights/ Painting with light] by ColorLovers
* [http://www.dazecoop.co.uk/25-08-2007/night-photography-with-flash-guns-coloured-gels Night photography with flash guns and coloured gels]
* [http://lowlightphotography.blogspot.com/2007/10/light-painting-tutorial.html Light Painting Tutorial with Examples]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vbWasBjc1k Light Painting with a video camera]