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The Fotobug Guide to Light Painting First Edition

Copyright © 2013 James F Caldwell

All rights reserved.

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The Fotobug Guide to Light Painting

Photography is all about the light. Sure, there are other photographic considerations, such as composition, but I personally would rather capture a somewhat poorly-composed image that was fantastically lit rather than a well-composed image that was lit flat and lifeless. (Actually, I would really prefer a well-composed well-lit image!). Good lighting is the subject of many photography workshops. In fact, the very word ‘photography’ comes from two Greek words photo, which translates as “light” and graphy, which means “drawing”. So together, they mean the drawing of light. But you already knew that, didn’t you! When we take a photograph, we are essentially capturing light. When we aim our camera and open the shutter, the light that is emitted from, reflected from, or transmitted through an object is recorded onto a photosensitive sensor, which converts the light to electrical signals, which are further processed as digital numbers and then stored. That all sounds rather mundane, but that process is exactly the same for any digital photograph, whether it is a prize-winning masterpiece or just a quick family snapshot. Snap, convert, store. Back in the very early days of photography, photographers were challenged just to get enough light onto their photographic plates to make an image since the plates were so insensitive to light. Light direction and aesthetics were not really a consideration, as long as enough light struck the plate to form an image. As the photographic process began to improve and the capture medium became more sensitive to light, photographers began to think more about the quality of the light that was being captured. Today we have light sensitive sensors that can record images with remarkably little light, yet many new photographers don’t seem to be concerned or aware of light quality. Nature and landscape photographers often have little recourse other than to wait patiently for the ambient light to fall on subjects in a pleasing direction and quality. While we can, to some extent, supplement the natural light with flash units, reflectors, and/or scrims, we still don’t have total control over the light in the scene being photographed. While luck and patience are certainly among virtues that can benefit a photographer, consider an artist who paints landscapes. A painter has a big advantage in that he/she determines how the light appears in the painting by applying the appropriate colors and shades on the canvas. The painter has total control over the perceived light in the finished painting. A good painter has learned how light reacts to surfaces and shapes and textures and how to represent those values with paint on a two dimensional canvas. Well, there is a technique that a photographer can use that can somewhat emulate the skill of a painter. That technique is light painting. This introductory guide will demonstrate how easy and inexpensive it is to get started with this technique and how amazing the final images can look. While light painting is primarily restricted to still life and night-

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time landscapes, by playing around with the technique and experiencing first hand how light reacts with an object, I guarantee you will become a better photographer! Just like a painter, you will learn when and how the light best reflects from the objects in your photograph to reveal their shape and texture in a two dimensional image, even when you are just relying on the ambient light around you. There are really two different forms of light painting. There is the method that I’m going to discuss in this guide in which the photographer uses artificial lights to “paint” light within the scene. The light is used to reveal the objects, as in a traditional photograph. There is another method where the lights themselves become the subjects within the images. This second method can produce some incredibly beautiful images containing swirling patterns of light, sparks that streak across the image, glowing forests of flowers and trees and abstract shapes that are produced by skilled manipulation of a light source in front of the camera. In fact, the painter, Pablo Picasso made one of the earliest light paintings using this second method for Life Magazine.

The author using a fiber optic wand to create a macro "light painting"

However, in this guide I’m going to discuss the method to use light in a more traditional lighting sense. I also want to acknowledge those photographers that influenced me and I learned from. Those photographers are David Black, Eric Curry and Harold Ross. More information on these photographers, including websites, books and workshops, are at the end of this publication. Follow along and learn how to “paint” your photographs with light!

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EQUIPMENT

One of the big advantages of light painting is the fact you don’t need a lot of fancy equipment. In fact, you can get by with very little cost with absolutely no compromise in the final image quality. There are few techniques in photography where this is true!

Camera –

You do not need an expensive fancy camera in order to do light painting. The only requirement is that the shutter must be able to remain open for at least 10 to 15 seconds in manual (most DSLRs have shutters that can stay open for up to 30 seconds in manual mode) and can be mounted to a tripod (or at least into a fixed position). If the camera has a “bulb” mode, that is even better. In “bulb” mode, the shutter will stay open as long as the shutter button is pressed. I also highly recommend a camera that can turn off auto focus. The camera can even be a simple “point and shoot” camera, as long as it meets the above requirements and doesn't build up too much digital "noise" during long exposures or high ISOs. Nice to have, but not essential features, would be interchangeable lenses, the ability to manually set the ISO (light sensitivity of the sensor), the ability to use a cable release, a timer delay for the shutter, and the ability to shoot RAW images. I’m assuming most cameras have some type of LCD viewer to see the images that have been recorded, but if the camera has the ability to be connected to a larger, external LCD or viewer, even better! Also nice to have is the ability to set the white balance, especially if your camera doesn’t capture RAW images. Some lower-end cameras have white balance settings that are marked as a sun (for daylight), and bulb (for tungsten lighting), etc. I also recommend you turn any image stabilizing ability on your lenses OFF! I have had some issues with some lenses mounted on a tripod causing double images and stacked images that don’t line up properly with an image stabilizer! Finally, I prefer using a shutter release or a remote release on the camera to make absolutely sure that pressing the shutter button doesn’t accidentally move the camera.

Tripod –

The tripod is one item that is very important. The tripod needs to be as heavy and solid as possible. You don’t want wind or even clumsy assistants moving the tripod during the exposure, or between exposures if you are using a layering technique. The tripod doesn’t need to be expensive, as long as it is solid and will hold the camera absolutely motionless. You may add weights or sandbags to some tripods in order to keep them from moving. Since you will be working in the dark, I cannot stress enough the importance of a solid tripod.

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The tripod head, like the tripod, doesn’t need to be expensive as long as it can hold the camera in place without slipping or drifting for long periods of time. I prefer to use a nice solid ball head. Also, if the tripod has a center column, I DO NOT recommend extending this column. Mounting the camera on an extended column will make the tripod less stable.

ND Filters –

Neutral density, or ND, filters are a “nice to have” item, but are not essential. Since the camera will be recording exposures at least 10 seconds long, there is a chance that stray ambient light could intrude into your scene. So, placing an ND, or even a polarizer, filter on the camera can help to reduce or perhaps eliminate the capture of the stray light. Keep in mind if you use an ND filter, you will also be reducing the ability to capture the light you will be painting with! You may have to move your lights closer to the objects, or “paint” for a longer period of time.

Lights –

Strobes and lighting equipment for traditional photography can be very expensive. You should be delighted to learn that for light painting, you can purchase an entire set of lighting implements for less than the cost of a single inexpensive flash unit! In fact, you may already have the instruments you need lying around your house! For light painting, we are going to use simple flashlights! I prefer to use the newer LED flashlights since most the bulbs are balanced close to daylight, but older style flashlights can be used as well with the white balanced set for tungsten. You may think of these lights as your paintbrushes. Just as an artist would not use a single brush for every detail in his or her painting, the photographer needs to use different light emitters for different purposes. Smaller objects require smaller lights and larger objects may require larger lights. If you are going to include landscapes in your image, then you will likely need even larger, more powerful lights and there is also no reason why you cannot use your traditional flash units as well. So don’t throw away your flash units just yet! The lights that I will be presenting here are all battery powered, but if you have access to AC electric power, there is no reason why you can’t adapt table lights or desk lamps for doing light paintings. There are no rules here, so don’t be afraid to experiment. I’m going to give a few examples of lights that I’m currently using, but any light that resembles these lights are fine. I’m going to start with the smaller lights for lighting small areas and work up to larger lights for “painting” landscapes and larger interiors. My smallest flashlight is a Streamlight 65018 Stylus 6-1/4-Inch Penlight, which sells on Amazon for around $13.50. This single LED penlight also comes with a glare guard for aiming the light, runs on three AAAA batteries and runs about 60 hours before the batteries need to be changed. It also has a pocket clip, like a pen that helps keep it handy. A small light like this is ideal for use on small still objects and for highlighting details in your image and is great for doing tabletop setups. I have discovered that the light produced by this flashlight is bluer than daylight and doesn’t match my other LED lights.

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I haven’t found this to be a problem and have actually used the effect to add a small bit of blue fill on some of my captures. The light also comes in red and blue bulb versions.

Streamlight 65018 Stylus without the glare guard

The next light I use is a Streamlight 66118 Stylus Pro, which is also a single LED flashlight, but is larger and brighter than the Stylus. This light is under $20 and requires two AA batteries. This light does not have a glare guard, but I will discuss light accessories and snoots later. This light is a nice all-purpose light that can be used for moderately sized objects as well as revealing textures and medium details in larger objects. It also comes with a nice canvas pocket protector. The Emissive Energy Corp. BLT-2L Bolt is my primary flashlight and I tend to use it the most. It is a bit more expensive than the previous lights, but is still less than $40. It is also a single LED bulb, but is quite bright. There are three versions of this flashlight. One uses 123A lithium batteries (that’s the one I use), another uses AA batteries and a third model uses AAA batteries. I prefer the lithium, as they tend to last longer.

Emissive Energy Corp. BLT-2L Bolt

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All of these lights have aluminum bodies, are quite rugged and are somewhat weather proof. LED bulbs can last for tens of thousands of hours, so these flashlights should last you a good long time and can also come in handy for general illumination when you just need a good flashlight! Harold Ross likes to use the SureFire E1L Outdoorsman Dual-Output LED. This is an expensive flashlight at $139, but it will likely last a lifetime! This light contains a single LED bulb and has two output settings, which could come in handy. It runs on a single lithium 123A battery and is quite compact. Flashlights similar to these will be used for the majority of your photographs. Again, shop around and don’t be afraid to substitute another brand or model. No one is going to fault you for the flashlight you use! As you will discover later, it is only important how you use them! The next type of light I use is actually intended for video cameras. This is a multiple LED flat panel light and is available from Amazon starting about $30. Many of these type lights also have a rotating dimmer switch and can take AA batteries or video camera batteries. These panel lights put out nice soft, even lighting and often come with various filters. There are larger and more expensive versions of flat panel LED lights for motion picture use that can also be used, but they can cost hundreds of dollars.

3” x 5” multi LED Light panel

The next step up is the larger and more powerful floodlights for use on large interiors or landscapes. These lights usually run on 12 volts and often come with cords that allow you to plug them into an automobile accessory plug. The price of these lights can run from $30 on up to $60 or $70 and can found in your local automobile supply store as well as Sears or Wal-Mart. These lights are normally tungsten balanced, unlike the LED lights, but you can either change the white balance on your camera or use daylight gel filters on the lights.

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Brinkmann 12 volt spotlight

Before you rush out and spend a lot of money on flashlights and/or spotlights, I recommend you start small with tabletop still life images and then work your way up to larger scenes and landscapes. Therefore, first purchase a couple of the smaller lights I listed and as you become more proficient, then consider adding to your lighting arsenal. Finally, you can also use camera flash units and even studio strobes, especially to light up larger areas. There are lots of homemade and commercial light modifiers for these units and they are especially useful for recording people in your scene since the flash duration is so fast. Many of these units also have the ability to manually change the duration of the light in order to control the amount of light they put out.

Ipad, Touch, iPhone or Smart Phone or any Tablet

I’m not kidding! The LCD screens on these devices can produce nice soft lighting effects that can be used to light difficult surfaces, such as bottles, glasses, etc. There is even an app for the Apple IOS systems called LightKit that allows you to use your iPad creatively to produce nice reflections on miniatures and shiny objects. The light from the screens can even function as limited flashlights to help you navigate around the set! You could also simply create some JPG files with white and black patterns (like a window pattern) and display those on your iPad or tablet for surface reflections.

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LIGHTING MODIFIERS PVC Harold Ross uses simple PVC pipes to create modifiers for his medium size flashlight. The Bolt flashlight that I listed has a diameter of around 1”, which will nicely fit inside a thin-wall 1” PVC pipe. A ten-foot length of 1” PVC can be purchased for only a couple dollars and will provide dozens of light modifiers! Simply cut the PVC into short pieces, paint it flat black on the outside, cut some at 45-degree angles and cut some at 90 degrees. These will help you to direct the beam of light and prevent it from spilling on other objects in the scene and help keep it hidden from the camera. Harold also uses a PVC 90 degree elbow on some of the PVC light modifiers, which will produce a nice even, soft light effect. Also, you can buy theatrical colored gels (and you may be able find a Rosco sample gel pack for free!) that can be used over your lights to add color or use frosted gels to help soften the light. A piece of black cardboard or poster board can even be used as a “flag” to help shield the light from the camera. One of the advantages of light painting is the fact you can easily mix hard and soft light in your scene as necessary, which could be difficult to accomplish in reality.

Homemade PVC Light modifiers (yes, this image is a "light painting"!)

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Fiber Optic Light Guides

Flexible fiber optic tubes and lighting fixtures might make some interesting practical lights. The cables might even serve to help direct light into places that would otherwise be difficult to light. I have used a fiber optic probe on a small flashlight in this manner. I have a large diameter unit (probably around 3mm) that is a couple of feet long that works great for small tabletop setups. The flexible tubing that surrounds the fiber optic material can be held like a pen or pencil and that flashlight that supplies the light to the fiber optic can simply lie on the table. I bought this unit decades ago from Edmund Scientific, but when I looked for similar units the prices now range from about $70 to over $100. However, Streamlight sells an LED flashlight that has the LED bulb at the end of a flexible "neck" that may work as well. I’m using the Edmund fiber optic light guide in the photo on page 3.

ACCESSORIES These items are “nice to have” but not essential. As you begin to create your own light paintings, you will undoubtedly discover additional items that will make the task easier or even more precise.

Paint Poles –

Yes, you didn’t misread that heading – I’m referring to actual paint poles as used to roll paint on a wall. These poles can also be used to place your lights high over head to get better angles on some of the objects you are photographing. Flash Zebra even makes an adapter for paint poles that has a stud to attach lights and accessories. Paint poles can be as inexpensive as the simple wooden handles, or can be the elaborate aluminum models that can be adjusted for length. When you begin lighting larger objects, such as cars or trees, you will appreciate the extra reach and ability to get the light up overhead, as well as under objects without having to crawl around on your hands and knees. Check out the website at Flash Zebra for an adapter for the paint pole that allows you to use flash units and other attachments on it.

Shutter releases –

A shutter release will help ensure that your camera isn’t moved or shaken when you trip the shutter. I also recommend that you consider using the built-in timer in your camera to delay the shutter release to further help prevent vibrations or movement. Releases are not only inexpensive, but many have the ability to lock your shutter open under “bulb” mode for as long as you need. Most cameras have a 30 second limit on manual mode, and sometimes you need a longer exposure than that. You may also find that a radio remote shutter release is handy to have, especially if you don’t have someone assisting you. I also highly recommend the Triggertrap Mobile, which will allow you to use your cell phone or tablet to control the camera. The app

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(both for android and Apple IOS) is free and the software has a lot of other great uses as well, such as timelapse! For more information, go to www.triggertrap.com/.

Gaffer’s tape –

Gaffer’s tape is similar to duct tape, except it has a cloth backing and has an adhesive that is made to allow the tape to be removed without harming a surface. It is an essential product on a motion picture set! The tape comes in various colors, but I would recommend black to be used for light painting. The tape can be used to help tape accessories, can be used to hold the PVC light modifiers to your lights, can make a light snoot (see below!), or 1001 other uses! I always keep a roll of gaffer’s tape handy.

Camera tether –

Many cameras, especially Canon and Nikon models, allow the cameras to be tethered to a PC or Mac. In fact, many programs such as Adobe Lightroom, have the ability to bring in images from a tethered camera. The tether cable is normally a USB or firewire cable that connects to the camera and then a USB or firewire port on the computer. After the picture is taken, the image is transferred immediately to the computer to be viewed. The advantage of the tether is to allow the photographer to review the images that have been taken without touching the camera. This further ensures that the camera won’t be moved between shots and also allows you to see a clearer, larger image for evaluation. If you are going to tether your camera to a tablet or laptop, you may also want a horizontal accessory arm for your tripod. Manfrotto and Vanguard make accessory arms, though the Manfrotto arm is much sturdier (and double the price!). With the accessory arm, you can mount your camera and by using a laptop or tablet mount, you can also mount your tablet or laptop.

An assistant –

Sorry, but you can’t buy an assistant from Amazon.com. However, having an assistant or assistants can be very useful, especially if you are going to photograph a larger interior or an exterior setting. You can save yourself a lot of running back and forth by having another person trigger the camera. Simply call out “Open” for the shutter to be tripped and “Close” when you are finished is a lot easier than running to the camera, then back into the scene to light paint the objects there. Although, running back and forth will get you more exercise! Assistants can also be useful to make sure that you have enough light coverage in your scene and to make sure you didn’t miss anything, especially if you are using the layering technique I will describe later. Assistants can even help “paint” the scene with additional lights. Finally, if you are out at night doing landscapes, an assistant (or several!) can be very valuable

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Snoot – No, a snoot isn’t a nose. A snoot is a cylinder that can be placed over your lights to direct the light and keep the light hidden from the camera. The snoot can be made from a simple piece of black poster paper that is formed into a tube and secured with tape. You may even be able to find a cardboard tube that will fit over your lights. Just make sure to paint it flat black on the outside to make sure the camera doesn’t record it. The flashlight is placed into one end and the snoot will help control the light. The beam that comes out of the end of the snoot will be narrower, but it will also help to hide the flashlight from the camera. Another method for creating a quick and dirty snoot is to take two pieces of black poster board and put a rubber band around them. You can simply push a flashlight into one end between the two pieces and by squeezing the sides of the poster board (or cardboard), you can vary the amount of light that escapes. Very quick and easy to put together, costs nearly nothing and can be a very effective way to control the light! Dental mirrors, etc. - Dental mirror? Sure, why not? Sometimes even the smaller flashlights may be too large and you may be able to use a small dental mirror, or even some aluminum foil, or any small reflector to add light into your setup. Anything goes to put light into the scene you are photographing. Beanbag - One way to ensure that the camera remains absolutely still is to hang a weight, such as a beanbag, from the tripod if it has a hook on the center column. Better yet, drape the beanbag over the camera itself, but make sure the beanbag isn't too heavy! The extra weight will help prevent the camera from moving during long exposures.

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VERY BASIC LIGHTING THEORY Before you go any further, go read the book “Light Science & Magic” by Fil Hunter, Seven Biver, and Paul Fuque; ISBN 13: 978-0-240-80819-2. This is the best book I have ever read on photographic lighting. Go ahead and read it, I’ll be here when you finish. Finished already? Wow, you are a fast reader! Seriously, get that book and study it. It will not only help you understand how best to do light painting, but it will also make you a much better photographer. In this section, I’m going to give a very brief introduction into how light interacts with objects and surfaces and shadows in order to make a two dimensional image appear to contain three dimensional objects. First of all, light has specific qualities. Though these some of these terms may be somewhat subjective, light can be hard or soft. Light has color. Light has direction. Light has intensity. In addition, the photographer needs to understand how light will react with the surface of an object. Is the surface shiny and reflective? Is the surface flat and dull? Is the surface rough and textured? Is the surface smooth? Also consider the shape of the object. Is the object rounded or flat? How important is that shape in the final image how and can you best reveal the shape with light? Is the object transparent or opaque? All of the factors mentioned above should be considered in order to apply light to the object in the ideal direction and amount. Light painting allows the photographer to apply the ideal light for each element with the scene, just like a painter can idealize an object on canvas with paint. That is a reason that well executed light painting photographs often resemble paintings. Consider the following example. What we have is a simple round shape. There is no dimension or any visual clues for the viewer to determine it is anything but a round, flat circle.

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So, if I want the viewer to perceive this image as a sphere with dimension, look what happens if I imply the shape with a “shadow” and by adding some "shading" to the image.

By proper application of light, you can also emphasize texture on the surface of an element. By raking the light at a low angle and skimming the light over the surface, any imperfections, ripples, and textures will be emphasized. If you want to de-emphasize texture, don’t allow light to strike the object at a small oblique angle to the surface. The same consideration should be given to elements that have a glossy or shiny surface. The light painter should give some consideration as to where the specular spot (highlight) should be located. This bright spot indicates to the viewer how glossy or how dull the surface is. Consider the next two examples. The first has a small specular spot, so that makes the surface appear to be shiny. The second example has a much larger specular spot, so the surface appears to be duller than the first one. Look back at the example that has no specular spot and it appears to be very dull. The only difference in these images in the placement of a specular spot, everything else is exactly the same. The photographer using light painting can use this fact to emphasize or even de-emphasize the quality of the surface of an object within the scene. However, don’t go crazy, for you still want the impression that the light is coming from a particular direction and not from hundreds of different light sources. If your image doesn’t appear to have a unified lighting source, then the resulting image may be very unnatural and may look faked and the viewer may reject it.

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Shiny surface sphere

Duller surface sphere

For a practical example, let us imitate my drawings by taking pictures of a spherical object, like a ball. If the light comes from the same direction as the camera, the ball will appear to be flat and lack dimension. There is nothing to indicate to the viewer that there is any shape there, the ball may appear to be a flat disk. Keep in mind that light reveals and shadows define. We have sufficient light to reveal the object, but since the light is coming from the camera, there are no shadows and the image is flat and lifeless. So let’s try again, but this time light the ball from behind and slightly to one side. Look at the following images and see what happens. The shadow on the ball now makes it look like a sphere and has dimension just as it did in my illustration. The whole point of these examples is to help you understand the ‘how’ to add light to your image. You want to reveal the shape of objects by lighting from the sides or from behind and allow the shading to indicate the shape. Since you are applying the light to the important objects within your image, you can light each section or element using “ideal” lighting.

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These two examples demonstrate the influence of light. Note that the image on the left is lit very flat and doesn’t give a lot of clues as to the shape of the object. The image on the right is a three quarter back light and the shadows and highlight reveal the contour of the ball as well as the texture of the surface. Even the color of the ball on the right appears to be more saturated. Both of these examples were done with a single flashlight! The amount of light that strikes a surface will also determine the saturation of the color of that surface. The more light that reflects from the surface, the less saturated the colors will be. Too much light and the surface will appear to be white, too little and the surface will be black. Also consider the effect of light if the object is transparent, such as a glass or bottle. Since light passes through the object, you only have some limited shading and the placement of highlights to show the form and dimension of that object. All of these can be accomplished by proper and judicious application of light. Keep in mind that the difference between hard light and soft light is the size of the lighting instrument as compared to the object it is lighting and the distance of the light from the object. A sunny day with no clouds produces very directional hard light. However, on an overcast day, the light is much softer as it is spread over a much larger area, even though the light source, the sun, is the same distance away. On a sunny day the sun is a very small light source as compared to the earth and that also makes it quite hard with very distinct shadows. However, if you could somehow move the sun very close without burning everything up, the resulting light would be quite soft with very indistinct shadows. Hmmm, I wonder what the exposure would be for that scenario? Although the flashlights we are using may be small and produce a hard light, by using light modifiers and/or by constantly moving the light, we can actually turn that hard light into a soft light! I’ll explain more when I describe the actual technique of light painting. Since light is reflected from the surface of an object, be aware that the color and light value of one surface can have some influence on surrounding objects. This is known as radiosity. Light won’t always stay put where you want it and will bounce around your scene and between objects. Highly reflected surfaces can also reflect the flashlight onto other surfaces and may create unwanted hot spots. Please keep all these details in mind as you plan your approach to lighting.

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Before you begin to apply light to your scene, you should decide how you want the light to reveal each object. Careful planning before you begin is very important to the success of your final image.

INITIAL SETUP There are two approaches, or techniques, to create a light painting of your scene. The first approach is to light the entire scene in one take. The second approach is to light in sections and then reassemble the different parts on the computer later. There are pluses and minuses to both approaches. Regardless of which approach you decide to use, there are some steps that are common to both approaches. First of all, light painting requires a dark environment. So you need to be able to turn off the ambient lighting and for outdoor photography, you will have to wait until after dark. However, while it is still daylight, or while the lights are on, you can set up your camera and objects that you will be photographing. Frame everything up and pre-focus, then turn the auto focus off. If you are going to be layering your image, you may wish to apply a small piece of gaffer’s tape to the focus and zoom rings on the lens to make sure it isn’t accidentally moved. I recommend you turn off any image stabilization on your lens too. You also want to make sure the tripod is secure and won’t be accidentally kicked or moved while you and/or your clumsy assistants are running around in the dark. This is especially important if you are going to layer your shots as a small movement of the tripod part way through the light painting process could ruin the entire image and you will have to start over. Once your scene is set and the camera positioned and set, I recommend taking a photograph to make sure that any stray ambient light isn’t intruding. You want to take this image at the same aperture, ISO and longest shutter speed that you will be using for the actual image. I recommend keeping the ISO as low as possible to keep the noise to a minimum, and you may wish to turn on the dark frame noise reduction if your camera has this feature. Be aware that doing so will double the length of time that the camera records. If you take a 30 second exposure, the camera will then record a 30 second dark frame in order to subtract out the hot pixels and sensor noise, so the actual take will be 60 seconds. Check the dark frame and make sure it is black, or that any stray light entering your scene isn’t going to spoil the image. Sometimes, a little ambient light can improve the image! You will likely find that it isn’t necessary to have absolute darkness in order to do your light painting as long as the ambient light isn’t being recorded, or the effect of the ambient light is minimal. Next, choose the lighting equipment that will allow you to properly light the objects. For smaller objects and details on larger objects, you will likely want a smaller penlight. For larger objects and areas, you will choose a larger light. For landscapes, you will want the larger million candle power lights and possibly even regular camera flash units. Also be sure to pick the right light modifier (color gels, diffusers, etc) and set your camera’s color

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balance to the correct value for the lights you are using, especially if you are not shooting RAW. Finally, you may want to do a practice run while the lights are still on to get a feel of how you are going to move through the scene so that you don’t trip over something, miss lighting an important part of the scene, or apply too much light to one part of the image. Please note that for large interiors and for exteriors, you will be walking around within the scene. However, as long as you wear darker clothing and no stray light is reflecting off you, you will not be seen in the final image. You need to be careful how you aim the flashlight so that it does not shine directly into the camera and be careful how the light reflects off shiny objects within your scene. So, how do you determine the exposure? Well, since the camera shutter will remain open for an extended period of time (perhaps 10 seconds to whatever is necessary!), the only camera controls you have left are the aperture and ISO. I like to keep the ISO as low as practical in order to keep digital noise in the final image to a minimum. The aperture allows me to control the depth of field, so if I want a shallow depth of field, I will use a smaller F stop and if I’m doing a landscape, I’ll likely want a deeper depth of field, so I will need to use a larger F stop (smaller aperture opening). The only thing I have left to control the exposure is the light I’m holding! The closer it is to the surface of the object I’m lighting, the brighter it will be (be careful if you don’t want the light to be seen in the final image!) and the longer I keep it on, the more light will be reflected to the sensor. Generally, I try to keep the light on an object around 3 to 8 seconds. This depends, of course, upon the size of the object and the intensity of the flashlight I’m using and whether or not I’m using any lighting modifiers (filters, reflectors, snoots, etc.). The best way to determine the exposure is to try out a quick test – count out the seconds to yourself (one thousand one, one thousand two, etc.) and then check the camera LCD. Adjust as necessary! For recording people, the shorter the exposure the better to prevent motion blur. Keep in mind that if you move the light source twice as far from the surface of the objects that you are lighting, you are decreasing the amount of light on that surface by ¼ and you are spreading the light over an area four times as large. This works in reverse as well, move the light to half the distance and you quadruple the light on the surface Generally you want to keep the light moving as if you are using a paintbrush, especially if you want to soften the light. If you want a hard life, then keep the light relatively still. Covering up the camera eyepiece is often recommended for long exposure photography to prevent light from entering the eyepiece and effecting the image or exposure. Since light painting is done in the dark, I haven't found this to be necessary, but it can't hurt either! If your camera doesn't have an eyepiece cover, you can put a little piece of black gaffer's tape over it. But I recommend you do this after you frame your image!

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IN CAMERA TECHNIQUE For the first technique, put on your running shoes and be sure to stretch and warm up. This is the technique preferred by photographer David Black and requires that you accomplish the light painting in one take. Therefore, this technique works best for small setups, although David has done some awesome light paintings on landscapes that in at least one instance, required a mad dash in a truck to complete! The longest shutter speed on most DSLR cameras is 30 seconds, so if you need more than 30 seconds to accomplish your light painting, you will either need some kind of a shutter timer, or an assistant to open and close the shutter. Keep in mind that the longer the shutter remains open, the more extraneous noise and influence ‘stuck pixels’ or ‘hot pixels’ will have on the final image, especially if you haven’t turned on the camera dark frame noise reduction. Essentially this technique requires that you take your flashlight (or flashlights) that are appropriate to the size of the object you are ‘painting’, and while the shutter is open on the camera, you are going to switch on the light and sweep it around and over your objects for a few seconds. The actual amount of time is variable and you will likely have to experiment a bit to find the right amount of light. Also keep in mind that the closer the light to the surface of an object, the brighter it is and the smaller the area it illuminates. Be sure to keep the light moving as if you are a painter with a paintbrush. The larger the area you sweep with each pass will determine if the final effect will be soft or hard light. Also, be careful that the light itself isn’t being ‘seen’ by the camera as that will create a light streak in your image and will ruin it (unless you are after that effect!). Depending upon your ISO and aperture setting, you likely only need at least two or three seconds’ exposure from the flashlight on each surface or object. I recommend beginning in the middle of your setup, and ‘paint’ the larger objects first, then work out methodically to the sides. Be sure to include everything and you need to work quickly in order to get everything lit before the shutter trips closed. If you rehearsed before hand, the process should go relatively smoothly, but be prepared to try several times before you are successful. Be sure to splash some light over the entire scene to act as fill light and keep the unlit portions of the image from going totally black. Allow some time at the end of the take to do this before the shutter closes. Once the shutter closes, you can evaluate the captured image and decide if it looks proper, or whether you might have to try again from the beginning. If you are unsuccessful – make a mental note of the parts of the image you like and try to remember how you lit those portions and then be prepared to correct the mistakes or omissions that you may have made. It may help to mentally (or even out loud!) count out the seconds as you “paint” each object or surface with your lights. You may include people in your image, but do be aware that the person must stand perfectly still for several seconds while you dash around them with your flashlights. If they move even a tiny bit – even a blink of the eye or breathing can ruin a shot and they will likely be blurred in the final take. Therefore, it is important to place them in a

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natural, comfortable pose that isn’t too difficult to hold for several seconds. It is also important to “paint” them with the flashlight as quickly as possible in order to try to eliminate any accidental movement. Back in the 1800s when film plates required long exposures, subjects often had posing stands that would help hold them in place during the lengthy process. I’m not proposing you go this far, but it can help if the subject has something to lean on while the image is being produced. Dave Black also uses a technique that can produce some interesting results. Just before the end of the shutter exposure, he racks the lens focus so the entire shot is out of focus, and then splashes some light around the edge of the scene. This produces a somewhat dreamy effect around the edges that can be quite interesting. Don’t forget to refocus if you need to do another take! For your first foray into light painting, I would recommend you start small with a tabletop scene. Use one of the smaller penlights and carefully study each take to determine what looks good and what doesn’t look so good. It is also easier to use Dave Black’s focus technique on smaller setups. Arrange your objects into a theme – photography equipment, fishing equipment, or perhaps around a travel theme. Don’t just grab arbitrary objects and put them on your table. Tell a story with your image even if the story is a study in shapes and textures. For my example setup, I decided to go with a theme of classical cameras. I chose a Graflex camera as the central object surrounded by old Kodak film cameras and added a 4x5 film pack, a light meter, and some Kodak B&W 35mm film boxes. I then took a 30 second image without any light to make sure there was no extraneous light intruding into the area. I ‘painted’ the objects starting in the center and used a rotating stroke giving each object about a 3 second exposure to the light. I worked outwards and tried to keep the main sense of the light direction from the right, while keeping the light angle low to bring out some of the surface textures and carefully avoiding pointing the flashlight into the camera during the exposure. Also, although my hand and flashlight barrel are actually in the scene, since no light is striking them, they will not be visible in the final image. This also holds true for larger scenes that require the photographer (light painter?) to walk around during the take. Wear dark clothing and keep moving and you will be invisible! I also use a snoot on the flashlight to ensure the bulb isn’t picked up in the final image. For this particular scene, it took 8 takes before I achieved an image I was happy with. Light painting is a technique that favors those who are patient and don’t mind repeating something several times until achieving success. Also, though you might be tempted, don’t just stand behind or near the camera and apply your light. Remember, you want to accent the shape and texture of the objects in your scene and are using carefully placed light to ‘paint’ your final image onto the sensor of

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the camera. So plan carefully before you start. Be careful that you don’t point your flashlight into the camera, or the shot will be ruined. As you begin to photograph larger objects and bigger areas, the process is the same, but will require more running around, better planning, longer exposures, and perhaps more patience. If you have practical lights (lamps, car headlights, etc. that are located in the image) you will want to leave these off, and just turn them on briefly for a second or two. You will likely have to experiment to get just the right amount of time for the practical light. Practical lights can make the scene look more real and can indicate a source of ambient light in the scene, but are also a challenge! Candles are especially tricky, unless you are using the layering technique that I will describe next.

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LAYERING/MASKING TECHNIQUE In the previous technique, imagine if the left side of the image was exactly what you were seeking in your image, but you made some errors on the right side of the image. In the next take, just the opposite happened, the right side was good and the left side was poor. Instead of redoing the entire take, since the camera did not move and I’m assuming the subjects in the scene did not move, then why not take the two images and merge them using masking and layers? This is precisely what Eric Curry and Harold Ross do in their light paintings. They follow the same basic technique as previously described, except they use shorter exposure times and then layer the good pieces from each take into a complete and finished image. One of the advantages of this technique is that it makes it easier to mix light sources without having to resort to using correction gels on the lights. Simply do a white balance in your favorite photo-editing program when you are converting your RAW images. For small tabletop photography, this process may not be necessary and may be over kill. But for larger setups it can make the process a bit easier and more workable. Harold Ross has some amazing images at his website of landscapes that he created using this technique. This technique also makes it much easier to include practical lights in your scene, especially lights like candles, matches and campfires! You simply record those elements in separate photos and you can even use faster shutter speeds if necessary. In addition, if you are shooting an outdoor scene, you can record several images of the sunset or evening sky, which you can then layer back into your scene. Another advantage of this technique is that you don’t have to worry too much if the light source shows in any individual take, as you can eliminate that when you mask and merge your separate images together. It also gives your better choices as you can take smaller sections out of the best takes, as long as you have sufficient coverage to re-create the final image. Since you are generally lighting smaller areas at a time, this technique also gives you more time to experiment and you can try different lighting approaches, then choose the one that works best later when you are processing the images. This is a great way to learn how light interacts with surfaces and various shapes. On the down side, this technique requires a lot of postproduction work, so if you don’t like spending a lot of time in front of a computer, this might not be the technique for you. Eric Curry wrote in his light painting book that he sometimes captures hundreds of separate images during his sessions that can take most of the night to capture and may spend up to 50 hours in post processing. You must also be very careful that the camera doesn’t move and that objects within your scene don’t move. I recommend using a cable or remote release on the camera to make sure it isn’t accidentally bumped when pressing the shutter. If you are doing dozens of exposures, you could ruin the entire sequence with one little bump.

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Finally, if you are going to include people within your image, you can save them for last and have them out of the shot until you are ready. Again, you want to put them into a comfortable position that looks natural, yet allows them to remain still while you ‘paint’ them with the flashlight. Eric Curry even records people in sections by taking a frame and ‘paints’ the subject’s left side, then another frame while ‘painting’ the right and so on. He then assembles these later in his computer. Don’t forget to light a bit of the floor or ground to record the shadows or reflections as these will make the scene look whole, otherwise the person will look like he/she is simply pasted in and will look unnatural.

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POST PRODUCTION If you created your image with the first technique (all in-camera), then your image is pretty much complete. All you need to do is to process the RAW image, perhaps add some minor color correction and the usual adjustments you make when processing a RAW image. For the second technique, there is a whole lot more work to do! I will first describe the method that Eric Curry uses and is outlined in his book on light painting. Harold Ross also uses this method combined with masking. I’ll also describe other methods that I have used and will follow that up with some visual examples. I am going to be using Photoshop for my examples, but any image-processing program that permits layer processing should work. First of all, you need to organize all your images. If your camera has the ability to record images into separate folders on your memory cards, then I recommend you create a separate folder for each setup and your images will then be already organized. Otherwise, put the images from each setup into a separate folder. Next you need to evaluate each image and eliminate those that are redundant or unusable for whatever reason. If you use Aperture or Lightroom, this process should go very quickly. Your objective is to include enough separate images to rebuild the final complete image with the best images that you managed to record. Keep in mind you don’t have to use the entire image, but can simply use pieces of the image as necessary. After you have evaluated and selected the images that you are going to include, select one of the images to bring into your photo editing software (Photoshop, Elements, Gimp, etc.). I like to start with the primary objects located near the middle of the shot and then work out from there, adding additional elements. Depending upon the complexity of your individual images, you may wish to “recreate” the objects from separate takes, then flatten or group that image and save it out for later. You can then reassemble these completed sections as one of your final steps. After bringing in the first image into your editing program, if there are any light streaks or practical lights in the scene that you don’t want you can use the paint brush and the black color to paint them out. Once you are satisfied, bring in your next image and layer it on top of the first. Edit this image as you did the first, if necessary. Next, select the mode for the top image and choose “lighten”. This should allow the lighter parts of the bottom image to show through. As an addition to this method (and one that I use frequently) is to use layer masking and create a mask to allow the desired parts of each image to show or to be hidden. You may also want to try the modes “screen” and “overlay” to see if these produce better results. Continue to bring in additional images and gradually build up your final scene using masking and/or the mode method. You may have to flatten your image from time to time (although I recommend you save it in the native format first, in case you make a mistake and need to go back. Just make sure you save the individual layers). Keep in mind as you bring in each image, you need to be consistent with the RAW processing and color

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balancing to make the image a unified whole. Otherwise it may look like it was simply pasted together. If you have people in your image that you recorded as a separate image or images, bring those images in and line them up as well. If you are using Eric Curry’s mode/lighten method, you will have to create a mask of the figure or the background will show through your person. Eric actually creates a layer under the person and paints in solid black where the person is located as a mask. You will see this technique used on my Astronomer image. Here’s a quick method to create a mask in Photoshop. Use the Quick Selection Tool and brush it over your person. Since the surrounding areas should be mostly black, the tool should quickly allow you to select the person. You can use the Alt key on the PC or Option key on the Mac to erase parts of the selection you don’t want. You can also Alt-Ctrl R (Option-Ctrl R on the Mac) to refine and feather the edge, or select this option from the Layer menu. Once you are happy with the selection – click on the mask icon on the layer panel (gray box with a white circle in it) while holding down the shift key. This will automatically create a mask allowing the person to show through and will hide everything else. You may go in and adjust this mask as needed. Don’t forget to include some of the floor for the shadow and/or reflection. Make sure the mask doesn’t have too hard of an edge to make sure the figure doesn’t look like it was pasted into the scene (even though it is!). Keep in mind with this mode/layer method, you don’t have to bring in an entire object, but can restrict it to portions of the object that may have better lighting. You can also use the opacity slider to control the amount of influence the top layer has over lower layers. Recently I began doing one more thing in Photoshop before I begin: I create an all black image on very first layer (background layer). By doing so, even the first image I bring in can be layered with the lighten mode and I can use a mask on it as well if I wish! I began using this technique with the Venezellos shrimp boat images and the Heritage Park Images that are included in the examples at the end of this eBook.

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LIGHT PAINTING WALK THROUGHS I’m going to go through an example setup and explain my thinking about the lighting I did and the process I followed to make this image. I decided to put together a still life of some of my older film cameras that I have collected through the years, including an original Kodak folding camera from the early 1900’s, a Kodak Brownie and a Graflex camera from the 1950s. These cameras have enough leather, polished wood and shiny metal to create a nice challenge for a light painting project. I’m going to do two versions, using each one of the techniques. The first one will be all done in-camera with no post processing other than RAW conversion and minor tweaking, but no layering. On the second version, I will combine the best of several individual takes using Photoshop layers. First of all, I arranged the cameras and photo items into a pleasing group. I also wanted to make sure that I was able to show off the texture of the leather surfaces as well as the polished wood and metallic surfaces. Composition is no less important in light painting as it is in any other type of photography. At least with a still life, I have total control over the placement of the objects and the framing of the camera! Here is a snapshot of the placement of the cameras and other photographic objects and the framing I chose. I will use this set up without moving anything for the two techniques and I will show the actual images as I proceed. I will begin with the first technique of lighting everything in one take, in-camera with minimal post processing.

Photographed with simple on-camera flash – this is the setup for the following examples

I’m going to also include overhead sketches of the setup showing how I intend to light the various objects. I highly recommend you considering doing a quick sketch of your setups in order to plan your lighting, especially when you first get started. The sketch will help you establish the methods and lighting that you will ultimately perform with

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your flashlights. If you are planning to use any lighting modifiers, include that in your sketch as well! I choose these items as they have lots of nice textures to work with, plenty of chrome and shiny metal, and lots of nice detail to work with. I used a theme of cameras and photography of yesteryear and also included a light meter and some old Kodak B&W film boxes.

In camera technique walk through –

The longest exposure available on my DSLR is 30 seconds without using bulb setting. Since this is a terribly complex setup, I decided to complete the entire light painting within 20 seconds. So, I set up my camera on manual for an ISO of 400, set the aperture at f/13 and the shutter for 20 seconds. I turned off the auto focus on my lens and finally set the timer on so that the exposure would begin about 10 seconds after I pressed the shutter. I did this to eliminate any possibility of camera shake and to give me time to begin “painting” the scene with my flashlight. This way I don’t waste any time moving from the camera to the setup – I have 10 additional seconds to do so before the exposure actually begins. The following diagram shows how I decided to light the scene. I used two flashlights, a small Streamlight 65018 for detail items and the larger Streamlight 66118 for larger areas. I wanted to skim the light across the leather to bring out the texture and also wanted to pull out some of the texture from the burnished metal. I realized I had to be careful lighting the polished wood, lenses and other reflective metallic surfaces. I used a simple snoot made from black gaffer’s tape for the 66118 flashlight and used the glare guard on the 65018 not only to help direct the light, but also in order to keep the camera from “seeing” the flashlights!

The large arrows are the Streamlight 66118 and smaller arrows are fill from the Streamlight 65018

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Finished image. Two flashlights used – Streamlight 65018 as fill and Streamlight 66118 for main. I kept the lights moving to create a softer light and gave around 2 to 3 seconds for the exposure by pressing my thumb on the flashlight button to turn it on and let off the pressure to turn the light off. I started on the Graflex camera in the center, and then worked on the items on the camera right and finally on the left. I used the remaining time to work a little fill on the left with the Streamlight. I ended up creating about eight exposures before I ended up with the completed image shown above. After each take, I evaluated the image on the camera LCD and made a mental note on the problems I noticed and tried to correct them on the next take. I wanted to bring out the nice texture in the leather that covered the cameras as well as the bellows on the Kodak Premo and the Graflex. I also wanted a nice highlight on the metallic and plastic parts to separate the cameras from the dark background. I needed some reflection from the tabletop to make a more interesting image. I also had to be very careful of lighting the lenses on the cameras. If the light were held too low, it would reflect off the glass directly into the camera, spoiling the image. Too little light on them and they would simply turn black, so I wanted just a small touch of a highlight on each lens. Also for the reflection on the table, keep in mind that you don’t light the object that is doing the reflecting; you light the object that is being reflected! The final RAW image was then brought into Photoshop, I applied some slight adjustments to the white balance, the overall exposure, cropped the top off the image, and finally reduced the size for this publication and applied some sharpening. I didn’t perform any other adjustments; the image is pretty much the way it came right out of the camera! Compare the finished light painting to the original setup picture and notice how much better the light is as compared to a simple single flash image. Although you could likely

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come close to the final image using multiple flash units, reflectors, etc. you would never have the level of control over the light as you do in a light painting. Note the nice texture and detail that is captured in the following 100% close-up crops.

Multiple Exposure Technique – The multiple exposure/stacking technique is similar to the previous technique except instead of a single take, I will be producing several takes. Therefore, the exposure time will be much less, so I set the camera shutter to 10 seconds, as most of the exposures will actually be less than 3 seconds with the flashlight. I used the Streamlight 66118 with black gaffer’s tape as a snoot. For some of the exposures, to help control the light, I pinched the tape together with my thumb and forefinger in order to reduce the light output. Just as with the single take method, I began with the big Graflex camera in the middle and then worked toward the camera right and finally I did the objects on the left. After each take, I evaluated the results on the camera LCD and once satisfied, I moved onto the next take. I created an exposure for the front, top, left and right sides of each object. I will later decide which ones to use and how much of each to use when I put them all back together again in Photoshop. I am not concerned about the light showing up in the scene as I can erase this when I do the final layering in Photoshop. This permits me a bit more creativity on how I can apply the light and is an additional advantage of this technique. In fact, the light does show up in a couple of the images. Once I had completed the different lighting exposures for each individual object, I did a final exposure lighting the entire set from overhead. I also did an exposure and splashed light from the front to light up the tabletop, but in the end I did not use that final exposure. I took a total of 29 exposures and ended up using 25 of the 29. On the next couple of pages are thumbnails of most of the individual takes that I took to produce the final composite image in Photoshop.

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Note how I lit each portion of each object from the sides and front and top, and how in some instances, I just used a slight rim back light. For some of the takes, I had to pinch the black gaffer’s tape snoot together in order to control and reduce the amount of light that fell into the scene. Although I tried to prevent the light from spilling onto other portions of the set, this isn’t always practical and if the extra lighting turns out to be undesirable, it is easy to eliminate in the compositing program using layer masks, or even just painting out the offending sections with a pure black brush. Note in a couple of the images on the next page, you will see some streaks from the flashlight. I simply painted these out before I layered them in the final take.

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Notice in the final image that I splashed some light over the tops of all the items. This served to give me some extra choices during the final compositing stage. It is always wise to record too much and not use it, than to record too little and end up needing the light in the final image. By working each item individually, I was able to come up with a workflow during the exposure stage to ensure that I had a complete lighting setup on each object without leaving anything out. Most of the images required an exposure of less than 3 seconds. When I pinched the snoot to reduce the light output, I exposed for a couple additional seconds. I set the camera on manual; ISO 400, f/13 and 10 seconds shutter speed. I also set the timer for 10 seconds to make sure the camera was not moving after I pressed the shutter and to give me time to move into place. If I had used a remote release, this wouldn’t have been necessary. I tend to use the remote release on larger setups and landscapes.

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Once I was done, I removed the memory card and transferred all the images to my computer. I then brought them into the Adobe Lightroom catalog and checked each one out. I removed any images that I felt would not be needed. I then used Lightroom to export the remaining images, one by one, into Photoshop for final compositing and editing. I started with the very first one, which was the first image in the sequence. After checking white balance and exposure in the RAW converter, I brought the image into Photoshop, then selected the next image in the sequence in Lightroom and transferred that to Photoshop. Since I’m using Photoshop 5.1, the remaining images would come into Photoshop as smart objects. That gives me extra control over them should I decide to edit the individual images separately. I applied the same RAW settings that I used in the very first image so that everything will be consistent. Since the camera and all objects were stationary during the exposures, everything lined up perfectly and I did not have to worry about image alignment. After I brought each image into its own layer, I changed the layer mode to “lighten” or “screen”. You may want to experiment with the later modes to see what works best. I then applied a mask as necessary to remove anything that I didn’t want to influence the final image. I click on the layer ‘eyeball’ to turn the layer on and off to evaluate the results and make any corrections. If the effect was too harsh, I also had the option of reducing the layer opacity.

The image above shows the Photoshop screen after bringing in several images. Notice that I am using the “screen” mode for image layer number 8 and the opacity has been reduced to 69%. Layer number 2 has a layer mask applied. The objects in the front of the scene and on the left are still dark and this illustrates how I worked to light each object beginning in the middle and then working my way out to the edges, first one side and then the other.

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The next view shows the completed image after all images have been brought in and processed. Note that layer 25 has the “lighten” mode applied and layers 25, 24, 21, 20 and 18 have layer masks. I also left layer 25 at 100% opacity. Layer 26 is actually a composite of the lower layers. The layered image is quite large and if you don’t have a lot of system memory, or if you don’t have a lot of CPU horsepower, you may want to do regular saves and then merge your layers as you work.

In fact, I recommend you save often to prevent a loss if the power should go out or if the computer crashes. I warned you earlier, if you don’t enjoy working on the computer, then you will probably not like this technique. However, as a photographer that once spent a lot of time in the darkroom, this technique somewhat reminds me of the magic of when the B&W image first appears under the red darkroom light in the developing tray.

Also remember that you don’t have to use every image that you photographed and you don’t have to use the entire image – you can mask out parts that you don’t want. Constantly turn the layers on and off to see the effect of the new layer. Be selective! There is no need to hurry and just keep in mind that the final image is totally within your control! The next example is my completed image using the composite layering technique. You may wish to go back and compare this image with the image produced using a single take. The result is subtle, but there is a difference! Which one do you prefer? At the end of this chapter there is a side-by-side comparison to see the differences better.

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It would be very difficult, perhaps impossible, to exactly reproduce this image using regular strobes or flash. In order to light some parts of each object, the light might actually have to be inside the setup itself, which would clearly be undesirable! However, using the composite method of light painting, it doesn’t matter if the light is visible in the scene as it will be removed and won’t show up in the final composite. For each object, I’m able to control the highlights, the shadows, the exposure, and reflections. If have nearly complete control over the final composite image, like a painter, I can use the light to reveal object shapes, textures and surface reflectivity. I still want the light to appear to be from primarily a single source, and even though this composite is made of over two-dozen individual parts, it still looks like a complete whole that was produced in a single take. On the next page I have included the two images together. The in-camera image at the top is the best of all my attempts and each time I tried, the results would be different. For the bottom, stacked image, I have better control over the post-production but that doesn’t necessarily mean the final image will be better. I would suggest you try both methods. For smaller tabletop scenes such as this one, an in-camera approach isn’t that difficult. However, for landscapes and large interiors, the in-camera approach could prove to be a challenge! There is another advantage of the multiple exposure technique – if there are parts of the in-camera image you like, you could use just those pieces! That is one reason I like the multiple exposure/stacked technique as it gives the photographer more control over the final image.

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Comparison of the same scene lit in a single take and using multiple exposures stacked in Photoshop

Cameras used in my example image –

In case you are interested, the classic cameras that appear in my example image are from left to right: Kodak Brownie Hawkeye (ca 1950-1960), Kodak Premo (ca 1906), Graflex Speed Graphic (ca 1940-1950), Kodak Brownie Flash Six-20 (ca 1945-1955), and a Kodak Duoflex (ca 1950).

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SUMMARY AND WRAP UP I highly recommend you at least attempt a light painting, even if it is just a simple tabletop exercise. I’m absolutely convinced that it will help you gain a better understanding of light and how it impacts your final image and therefore will make you a better photographer. This is a technique in which the camera matters little. It comes down to the quality of your lens optics and the adeptness with which you apply light to the objects in your setup. Best of all, since light paining requires darkness, this technique allows you to extend your shooting day beyond daylight hours. When everyone else has set their cameras aside for the evening, you can be out creating awesome landscape images! Also, light painting does not require expensive or fancy gear, so anyone with a camera that allows extended exposures can practice this technique. All you need is a camera, a tripod and some flashlights (and perhaps some patience!). Try to keep in mind the following three recommendations to avoid the issues that most beginners make. Number one, get the light away from the camera. Lighting is far more interesting if it comes from the sides or even from behind the subjects. Number two, don’t evenly light everything in the frame. Dave Black mentioned during a seminar that he presented that if you want something to look interesting, only light part of it! Number three, consider the best angle of your light source and consider how that light would normally react with object surfaces including reflections. In the following examples, I’m including experiments and tests I did to encourage you to play around with this technique and to experiment for yourself. In the text that follows each image, I will explain what I was trying to accomplish and what I learned. So, go ahead and grab a flashlight and give it a try!

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Practical Light Painting Examples On the following pages are some examples of light paintings I have made, including commentary. I included some good and mediocre images, warts and all. I discuss what I was attempting to do and my thought processes in order to create the image I had in my head. Hopefully these will encourage you to attempt your own light paintings and help you to think creatively in order to become a successful light painter. It is important to approach light paintings with a plan and a final image in your head. I’m hoping by including my thought process and what I was trying to accomplish in each image will help you when you set up and attempt your light paintings. Most important, don’t be afraid to experiment and try new techniques and approaches. Don’t just imitate, but make the image your own! For example, although all the examples in this publication are in color, you may wish to reduce your images to black and white. Since you can reveal surface detail and control the highlights and shadows in your images with light painting, this would be a great technique to use on black and white images!

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LANDSCAPE TREES

This image was produced in my backyard using a single BLT-2L flashlight. It is one of my first attempts at a landscape and I figured these two old oak trees would make a nice test subject. I applied most of the light from the left, as I wanted to rake the light across the bark of the trees and the grass to bring out the texture. I also applied a little fill from the right and finally splashed some light into the shrubs in the background. This was a 30 second exposure at f/5.6 at ISO 640, single exposure technique. I used a snoot made from black gaffer’s tape on the flashlight as I was partially in the shot when I “painted” the oak in the background. I created five different takes as a trail from the flashlight appeared in a couple of the earlier takes. I found that by keeping myself between the camera and the flashlight that I was able to hide it from view. In the future, I may use a black cardboard “flag” taped to one side of the flashlight to help hide it from the camera view. Note that the reddish light in the background is actually coming from the porch lights of a house in the back. Since I have the final image set for daylight white balance (to match the LED flashlight), the faint lights in the back appear to be somewhat red. I actually like the contrast this creates! Although I used an aperture of f/5.6 and focused on the near tree, the lens was wide enough (35mm on a 1.6 crop sensor camera) that the tree in back still appears to be in focus.

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ANOLES

Who says you can’t do nature images using a light painting technique? I noticed these cuban anoles curled up and sleeping on the leaves of a blackberry vine in our back yard. So, I carefully set up the camera on a tripod and using the BLT-2L flashlight with a gaffer’s tape snoot, I made this image. Since the anoles weren’t moving, I was able to “paint” around them without disturbing them. The most difficult part of creating this image was setting up the tripod and camera in the dark without disturbing the anoles! To help frame and focus, I turned on the flashlight and held it up to the top of the camera to light up the anoles and leaves. The image above was made with an ISO of 160, aperture set at f/8 and a 30 second exposure. I had to light the anole with the curled up tail from the left side, as there is a leaf that prevented me from directing the light from the right side. I worked the light around a bit in order to light him up enough to make him the center of interest in the image. I really didn’t need the 30-second exposure for this image as I only applied about 3 seconds of exposure to the anole and then a few seconds to the entire scene to give a little bit of fill.

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TREE FROG

This image was produced with the cooperation of another Cuban invasive critter, the cuban tree frog. Fortunately, he sat still long enough to “paint” this image using a Streamlight 65018 flashlight with a black gaffer’s tape snoot. I was able to create a number of takes until he finally grew tired of the whole affair and hopped off to find a meal. Certainly you could just use a flash on the images above, but I still don’t think the quality of the lighting would be the same without a lot of experimenting. I like the manner in which I am able to direct the light using the small flashlights and the control it gives me. This exposure was made at an ISO 320, aperture at f/11 and shutter set for 10 seconds. Notice the slight bluish cast from the Streamlight, which actually works well for this image and gives it a nighttime effect. When I “painted” the scene, I wanted the fuzz to show on the edge of the leaves and had to be careful of the reflective frog’s eyes. I wanted a highlight in the eyes, but didn’t want my flashlight to be reflected! I also didn’t want too much light on the plant and frog as I wanted it to look like night.

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MOON MAID

This was one of the first images I produced using a light painting technique and created it back around 2002 using a simple Olympus E-10 camera. See, you don’t really need a fancy camera to create light paintings! The still life is an Indian maiden kneeling at the edge of a stream or lake, so I attempted to create a scene as it would appear by moonlight. I applied the light from behind and slightly to the left. I completed the composite by using an image I took of the real full moon and for the water; I used a light painting technique to capture water ripples in a kitchen sink and then rotated the captured image in a separate layer and placed it in the scene with a layer mask and reduced opacity to represent water lapping at the maiden’s foot.

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CHRISTMAS TREE

Our holiday Christmas tree turned into a challenging subject. The branches made it difficult to get the flashlight in behind objects and the glossy ornaments proved to be a lighting challenge. Note the round ornament in the lower middle of the photograph; if you look carefully, you may notice that the reflective surface of the ornament picked up the movement of the flashlight. This image is the result of 8 separate images layered together. Most of the takes were recorded at 10 seconds except for the one I did of the little tree light bulbs. I simply plugged the lights into a wall socket for about a second. Even though I still had the camera set on the daylight white balance, since I was shooting a RAW image, it was easy to change it in the RAW converter back to tungsten in Photoshop. I photographed this at f/8, ISO 100 and used the camera self-timer to allow me time to get ready with my flashlight. I used the Streamlight 66118 with a gaffer’s tape snoot. The best takes were then brought into Photoshop and layered together using the “lighten” mode and layer masks. Altogether, I did around a dozen exposures and ended up using eight. I actually had to start over at one point as I tripped over the tripod after the 4th exposure! I also attempted to create an image with a single exposure, but I was not happy with any of the results.

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ORCHIDS After purchasing this orchid for my wife, I decided to immortalize the blossoms in a light painting. I wondered if I could capture the delicate beauty of the flowers with this technique. I used the small Streamlight 65018 Stylus with the glare guard and used the layering technique. I carefully “painted” each blossom with the light skimming across the petals in order to pick up the texture of the blossoms. I also wanted to depict the roundness of the stems, but failed to light the underside of the stem and only ended up with a layer with the top of the stem lit. It isn’t bad, but I think it would have been better lit on top and bottom – at least I would have had a choice! I also applied a little light to the background. It total, I had eight layers which I used a combination of the “lighten” and “screen” modes. It is a good idea to try both (try others as well) and a combination of masks and layer opacity. Although traditional studio strobes or flash units could have been used to create a similar image, I doubt if the subtlety of the blossoms and control over the

light would have been as effective. I set the ISO to 100 and aperture to f/6.3 and manual setting to 10 seconds. I felt that 10 seconds gave me plenty of time to apply the light in each take.

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WINE BOTTLE I wanted to try a more traditional artsy still life with the light painting technique and decided this interesting wine bottle would make a good subject. I added the glass, which can be a challenging surface to light, and the cork remover, which also is quite shiny and can be a challenge. I used two lights for this image, the little Streamlight 65018 Stylus with the glare guard and the BLT-2L Bolt with a gaffer’s tape snoot, primarily for the background and with a PVC elbow for softer light on the bottle. I also used the layering technique and ended up with nine layers for the final image. For the glass and bottle, since you can’t really light a transparent or shiny surface directly, but rather you need reflections to define the shape and surface, I found a clever iPad app called LightKit. This app simulates various lit windows, but I merely used a full-lit screen and gave it about five seconds exposure on both sides of the glass and on the bottle, just out of the frame.

Although this app is only available on Apple IOS devices, always keep your eyes open for potential sources of interesting light. Even the lit screen of a smart phone could be used. I also wanted to capture the dust on the wine bottle to indicate that perhaps it had been in storage for some time and used the light to rake it across the surface of the dust on the left side of the bottle. I also wanted a rim light on the lip of the bottle, but should have lit more of the bottle’s neck to separate it from the background. I carefully lit each section of the cork remover and sadly, did not have a cork to include in my scene. Camera settings were ISO 100, aperture at f/11 and 10 seconds on manual.

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8MM MOVIE PROJECTOR

I thought this old 8mm Revere movie projector would make a nice subject for a light painting. It has enough great surface texture and detail as well as interesting shapes for a good challenge. I also thought I would try to see if I could capture the blur of the movie reels and finally, the beam of the projection of the movie. I wanted the light to appear to be coming from the reflection of the movie screen, so I used the Streamlight 65018 Stylus with the glare guard and applied the light from the right side, low and slightly to the rear of the projector. Before I applied light to the reels, I turned the projector on with the projector bulb off and used my thumb to “strobe” the light on the reels to capture some blur. I had to apply a bit more light, but it did work. For the projection beam, I lit some paper on fire and blew it out to allow the smoke to rise in front of the projection lens, then turned on the projector bulb for about a second. I did this three times in three separate takes to capture the beam from the projector lens to the edge of the frame. I used a layer technique and only used the “lighten” mode. In all, there are 15 layers in the final image. I used a mask on the rounded part of the projector so the front of the dome shape would be lit and then recede into shadow in order to emphasize the shape. Finally, I applied a little light into the background cloth and reduced the opacity of that layer just to give a hint of a background. After all, projectors are used the dark! I set the ISO to 100, aperture to f/11 and 10 seconds on manual using the camera timer to delay the start of the exposure to give me time to get into place, turn on the projector, etc.

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SCUBA TANK The challenges in my scuba scene were to see if I could light the water behind the tanks as well as the drops of water on the tank, regulator and fins. In addition, I wanted to light the tank itself in order to reveal the rounded shape of the tank. There was also a sufficient amount of chrome and black shiny rubber to add to the challenge. I used a multiple LED flat light panel that was about 3” x 5” to light the sides of the tank and the initial water in the pool. I also used it to add a bit of fill on the entire scene. These lights are quite soft and with some added frosted gels, the light is ideal. I had to hold the light close to the tank, slightly behind it, so the light shows up in the shot, but I was able to remove it when I layered my takes. I used the Streamlight 65018 with the 90-degree PVC elbow for adding additional light to the fins, the pavers in the foreground, the mask, the regulator and to add some additional light to the pool

water. I added a gaffer’s tape snoot to the front of the PVC in order to control the light on these smaller items. I kept the light low and raked it over the objects in order to reveal the water droplets. The camera was set on ISO 500, aperture at f/9 and 10 seconds exposure. There were a total of 11 images used in the Photoshop stack with a combination of masking and the “lighten” mode.

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ANTIQUE CLOCK

This old clock originally belonged to my grandparents, but still works and keeps good time! I thought it would make a nice challenging light painting subject to see if I could capture the fine wood carving as well as the clock mechanism and face that is behind glass. I used the multiple 3” x 5” LED flat light panel for the back wall and overall fill. I used the Streamlight 65018 with the 90-degree PVC elbow on the clock itself. I raked the light across the wooden frame in order to pick up the carving detail and had to carefully light the clock mechanism to avoid reflection of the light off the glass. Note that I did not set the clock hands at 10:10, which has become somewhat of an industry advertising standard for clocks and watches. Although there are a lot of interesting explanations

for this setting, the explanation from Timex that the hands are set at this position in order not to block the company name or logo on the watch or clock face is probably the correct one. Check the next clock or watch ad that you see and I’ll bet the time is set to exactly 10:10! ISO set at 500, aperture set at f/10 and I set the camera on manual at 6 seconds exposure.

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ASTRONOMER

I wanted to do a larger outdoor light painting and decided to set up a night scene with a man and a telescope. The entire process took about 90 minutes and many thanks to Fred Rodgers for volunteering as my subject. The location I found used to be a small local airport, which was being converted to an industrial park. The entire project was put on hold a few years ago due to the real estate collapse. However, they left a nice flat terrain, which was easy to get to, and the trees on one side block the lights from the highway behind them. We waited several weeks to get a night with a clear sky. Unfortunately, there was almost a full moon, but it really didn’t have a negative impact on the final image. Unfortunately, however, the wind did have some impact on Fred’s shirt. He had to pose in an uncomfortable position and I ended up using the thumb switch to flash the light on and off in order to minimize blur of his shirt from the wind. I’m somewhat embarrassed to mention that I neglected to bring a remote trigger with me. Although we were very careful when pushing the shutter, the few early images we took were blurred due to camera shake. I solved the problem by using the 10-second built-in timer on the camera. I did the telescope and background with Fred out of the frame (he triggered the camera for me). I used multiple flashlights: the BLT-2L, the Streamlight 65018 Stylus, and a Brinkman 3 million candle power 12 volt light for the trees and background. After I was satisfied with the telescope and background, I put Fred in the shot and did a number of exposures with him peering through the telescope.

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I did a final 30-second image for the stars, however if you look at the image of the stars at 100%, they are slightly streaked. I was photographing with a 28mm lens on a full-frame camera. There is a formula called “the rule of 600” in which you take the 35mm equivalent of the lens and divide into 600 to arrive at the maximum exposure time to prevent star streaks. In this case (600/28) that would be around 20 seconds. Since we did a 30-second exposure, the stars were slightly streaked. In post-production, I tossed out the exposures that were blurred and using the stacking and lighten mode in Photoshop, I built up the final image shown here. I also used the technique of adding people to the scene that Eric Curry wrote about in his book. It would have been impossible for Fred to hold his pose for the length of time required to “paint” the image, so he was not in the frame when I added light to the background and telescope. Instead, I put him in at the very last and did a couple of exposures and flashed the light on and off quickly to minimize any movement. That means I couldn’t just add his image to the layer stack in Photoshop and use the “lighten” mode, so I used Eric’s technique. I added Fred to the scene and using the free style selection tool, I drew a rough selection around him. I then added a blank layer below his layer, selected that layer and using the fill tool, I filled the selected area with black. This layer acts as a mask and allows me to add Fred into the scene without the background showing through the shadow areas of his shot. Without the mask, Fred would look to be partially transparent! I still used the “lighten” mode on Fred’s layer and in the final image it appears he was standing there all along!

Mask in Photoshop used under the layer with Fred.

One more quick note on this image: the LCD lights are essentially balanced for daylight, but the Brinkmann is closer to a tungsten balance. Since I was shooting RAW, the white balance I chose (daylight) only effects the embedded JPG thumbnail. I changed the white balance of the images taken with the Brinkmann to tungsten when I processed the RAW files in Photoshop.

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LANDSCAPE

Yes, I know this looks like an early morning, but believe it or not, this was created around 9:00 pm at night in total darkness! I want to thank Ted Coulson who helped me with this image. I used a 3 million candlepower Brinkman 12 volt flashlight, set the camera at a white balance of 4000 kelvin, F/8 and a 30 second exposure. We started with an ISO of 400 and bumped it up to 1600 by the end of the session. The zoom lens was set to a focal length of 35mm. The landscape was lit off from the left side about 100 yards from the camera. The final image consists of 3 images merged together using the “lighten” mode and some masking. I also pushed the Photoshop white balance a little bit more toward the reds in order to achieve the early morning appearance. The clouds are actually lit by industrial and city lights that are behind this forested area. We were hoping for a clear night, but I rather like the look of the clouds! Incidentally, this image could never be created in reality as we are facing almost due north and the morning side would actually be on the right and would be blocked by the large trees on that side! Note also that due to the long exposure the clouds have a motion blur. We actually could have used a graduated ND (neutral density) filter on the lens to hold back the sky a bit. The ND filter would have also have allowed us to increase the exposure to 45 or 60 seconds to capture the image in a single take. One of the advantages of doing an image like this at night is the fact the wind completely dies down and so the surface of the pond is like a mirror. The evening was somewhat

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cool and dry and there was some mist rising out of the pond, but despite our best efforts, we were unable to capture that mist in the final image. It was just a little bit too subtle. Also, as the sun went down, the mosquitoes stopped biting! It is important that if you intend to create an image like this by stacking multiple photos together that the wind be as still as possible. If there is any movement in the trees, they will come across as blurs in the final image. This is particularly true of items in the foreground such as the cattails in this image. I learned my lesson from the Astronomy image and used a remote unit to fire the camera. The one I used has an optional delay feature built in that will delay the triggering of the camera for six seconds. That gave me time to put the firing control in my pocket and then turn on the Brinkman before the camera shutter opened. Ted had his camera next to mine and called out when the 30-second exposure was finished. I also tethered the camera to my laptop computer to give us a larger image to evaluate. I highly recommend this practice! Something to keep in mind is the distance of the furthest objects in the scene. In this landscape, the trees are no more that 100 to 150 yards away from the light. Much further and it would require a much longer exposure and a longer exposure would have created more difficulties with the sky. I also can see how two Brinkman flashlights would be handy to cover a broader area. I would have had to hustle to try to cover the scene in 30 seconds if I had wanted to do this in a single exposure! We did try this a couple times, but I didn’t get the coverage that I wanted. In Photoshop, I choose 3 of the images that had the best lighting to cover the entire landscape and processed them with the Adobe Raw Converter. I stacked the images using the “Lighten” mode and applied some minor masking – especially on the sky. Since the clouds were moving, if I just used “Lighten”, the entire sky would be filled with clouds, so I masked out all but one image. I did a little of this for the sky reflection in the pond as well. Finally, I flattened the image and applied some minor touches using Viveza from Nik software. One final note - since we arrived at sunset, we were able to see well enough to set up our equipment and frame the image. Please be careful walking around in the dark, especially around water or where large critters might be prowling!

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Macro

For this image, I wanted to do something just the opposite of a large landscape, I wanted to do a close-up image. I wanted a lot of texture and various colors, so I collected some old dried up hibiscus blossoms, a dead monarch butterfly, a bird's egg, some nicely textured dead leaves and a conch shell. No real theme here, just a variety of colors, textures and shapes! I used the Bolt flashlight for the lighting, but I attached a fiber optic tube to the front of it to help control the light in a small setting like this. I used black gaffer's tape to tape the unit to the flashlight. The fiber optic unit is used to light up small interiors, but they may no longer be made and may be difficult to find. Nite Ize Innovation out of Boulder Colorado called this unit the AA Fiber Optic Adapter. You might still find them if you do a Google search or you might find a similar device. Nite Ize Innovations does have some interesting products that could be useful light painting accessories and lights, so you may wish to check out their website at http://www.niteize.com/. I kept the fiber optic wand low and close to the surfaces in order to bring out the detail and texture of the surfaces. When I lit the eggshell, I moved the light in large circles in order to produce a softer effect and to prevent the creation of a small specular spot. In Photoshop, I added a mask to that layer to fade the light out toward the bottom of the shell to bring out the shape. For the butterfly’s wing, I wanted to try to capture some of the textured veins, so the light was kept at a very low angle and I moved it very slowly to try to bring out some of that

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texture. I also tried to get the wand as close to the head as possible and kept it somewhat still to produce a highlight in the eye. I also raked the light at a low angle on the dead hibiscus blossoms in order to bring out the wrinkled look. The seashell was a challenge in that it is the most reflective item in the grouping and I didn’t want it to overpower the other objects. I also wanted to reveal as much of the texture of the shell as possible. I also placed it toward the back of the set and if you notice, I applied less light on the rear objects in order to give the illusion of depth to the final image. One thing I discovered when creating an image like this is to apply a bit more light to the edges of some of the leaves and even the outer wings of the butterfly in order to better reveal the shape and texture. The final image consists of 10 separate takes stacked together in Photoshop with some masking and a combination of 'lighten' and 'screen' modes. I carefully lit each item with the fiber optic flashlight and used a 30 second exposure with an ISO setting of 320, a 100mm macro lens and an aperture of f/16. I started with the butterfly and then worked my way from the right to the left with the light coming from the right side. I used a radio remote to fire the camera so I wouldn’t accidentally move it. I did not find it necessary to use mirror lock up. The reason for the 30 second exposure is due to the fact the fiber optic absorbs a lot of the light from the flashlight and produces a very small beam of light. The outside of the fiber optic is black, so it does not show. I had to hold the flashlight in one hand and the fiber optic in the other to get it as close to the surface of the objects as I dared. I moved it much slower than I would when using a flashlight due to the low intensity of the light. The butterfly was merely balanced in place and I had a couple of aborted sessions when I accidentally knocked the butterfly over! I could have pinned it into place, but then I would have had to mask out the pin in the final image. However, by lighting the butterfly and right side first, if the butterfly was knocked over after I was finished with that side, I didn’t have to worry since I wouldn’t be applying any more light on that side and the movement of the butterfly wouldn’t be recorded. So you see you can light a scene from a tiny macro to a large landscape. You can include people and even wildlife in your images (if they will remain still) - or use dead insects. I hope my early experiments here will inspire you to try it yourself.

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Night Sky

This image was photographed near the summit of Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park in Maine. I originally went to this location to photograph the sunset, which was unspectacular due to the clear sky, but I knew that would mean the night sky would be amazing! So, I returned a few hours later to capture this image of the Milky Way and I used a powerful LED flashlight to light up the tops of the trees so they wouldn’t appear as mere silhouettes. This image shows how you can use light painting to help accent long exposure images. I set my exposure for an ISO of 1200, 30 seconds at f/4. I used a remote wireless trigger to allow me to get way off to the side, as I wanted to cross light the trees. Once I pressed the trigger, I directed the flashlight to the tops of the trees and moved it rapidly back and forth for about 15 seconds. The glow behind the trees is from city lights from the town of Bar Harbor, but that glow also helps separate the trees from the night sky. By the way, the night sky was really that full of stars! I did not use mirror lock-up for this image, but I did turn off auto focusing and image stabilization on the lens I was using.

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Rooster

The light painting of this rooster was done on a workshop I was conducting in Iceland. This is a perfect example of “less is more”. Dave Black, during his workshop, stated several times, that if you want something to look interesting, only light part of it. This light painting is a 20 second exposure performed with two Streamlight penlights, one white and one blue. There was no post-processing. The blue light was only used for a few seconds from behind the rooster and the white light was held to the upper right. By the way, the poor rooster is stuffed and that’s the reason it held still long enough for a light painting!

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VIOLIN

This image of a violin was created at a workshop in Orlando presented by Dave Black. Although it looks like it is a real violin, it is actually only seven or eight inches long! I used a small streamlight stylus flashlight with black masking tape to form a snoot to help control the amount of light on the tiny instrument. I could control the light output by pinching the tape. The exposure was done for 20 seconds, but I attempted a focus technique that Dave Black teaches. The focus technique involves doing the light painting for part of the exposure, and then carefully racking the focus of the lens so it is totally out of focus and continue painting the edges of the scene. The final result has the main part of the image in nice full focus and the transforms to an out of focus border. You have to be careful when you rack the lens focus so you don’t get light on any part that is to remain in focus in the final image. Also, you must not move the camera! Note that I moved the light quite a bit when creating this image as I wanted a softer light source. By sweeping the light while creating the scene, the light fills in the shadows and creates a softer light effect.

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WESTERN SCENE

This image of a gun belt, gun, lariat, and western hat was also part of the Dave Black seminar. I created the image with a single streamlight Stylus flashlight and it is all done in-camera in a single take. For surfaces like the gun, you must be careful with the light angle and I like to skim the light across rough surfaces like the rope and leather. By skimming the light, the texture of the surface is accented. Note that the main light source is from the rear right side of the image. I purposely did not move it around too much as I wanted shadows and a gritty look and didn’t want the light to be too soft. In order to help control the light, I place my thumb on the light switch so that I was able to switch the light rapidly on and off as needed as I work my way around each object. I actually did several takes on this setup, but this one is my favorite.

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MODEL LIGHT PAINTING

This is a very special image as it was created as part of a Dave Black workshop at Universal Studios in Orlando organized by Wayne Bennett. The light painting was done inside one of the large sound stages and the background is one of the floats used in night parades at Universal. Doing light paintings of people is especially challenging because the slightest movement can ruin the image. This light painting was produced in camera with no post processing in Photoshop. The model, xxxx, had a remarkable ability to remain absolutely still even with the flashlight right in her face. She didn’t even blink her eyes! I put the camera on a dutch angle and if you look carefully, you can see the person with the flashlight reflected in some of the purple globes! This image was created in 20 seconds using a small streamlight stylus flashlight.

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McMullen Cabin

Heritage Village is a local county park, which now contains many of the historical Pinellas county buildings, which had to be relocated for various reasons. The McMullen family built this cabin in the 1800s. The McMullens were among the early county pioneers. Many thanks to my friend, Ted Coulson, who managed to secure permission for us to spend a few evenings in the park after hours and to the volunteers who stayed with us. This is a composite light painting using a Brinkmann light for the windows and the light coming through the airway in the middle of the cabin. I balanced the camera ISO at 10000 so that the LED lights we used would come out looking “normal” and that made the Brinkmann tungsten light come out with a reddish cast, which resembles an old kerosene lantern, perhaps? I did an extended exposure for the sky at a higher ISO, but most of the scene was done with an ISO of 400 for around 20 seconds each. I fired the camera remotely using a radio trigger. Since the cabin was locked, we could not get inside, but there were windows all around, so to get the interior lights, we just shined a light through one of the “hidden” windows! The dark wood really absorbed the light, so my challenge was to put enough light on the beams to reveal the texture and shape, as well as reveal the rocking chairs on the porch. The warm light from the Brinkmann lends a friendly “homey” atmosphere to the final image.

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Seaboard RR Station

The Seaboard Railroad passenger station is another historic building at Heritage Village. In addition to the station, there is an old caboose on a short length of railroad track and a railroad-crossing signal. We framed up the scene while it was still light out. I cut off the back of the caboose as there is a plaque located just outside the frame and I really didn’t want to remove it in Photoshop, so I just excluded it. I used one of the “dark” frames that we took as the sun was setting for the sky. Once again, this is a composite shot. I also used the Brinkmann light through one of the windows outside the frame to light up the interior of the station as well as the caboose. Notice the lighting on the pole of the railroad-crossing sign. I like to light round tube objects like that from both sides, which gives it dimension. I somewhat regret that I left the ladder home on this night as I would have preferred to have lit the pole from a higher angle! You may also notice a little red light on the door. This light is actually intrusion from a light in the parking lot behind us! I attempted to minimize the influence of this light by lowering the ISO and using a shorter exposure. That is one of the reasons for doing a dark frame before applying any light – to see if any other light is going to have an impact on the final image.

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H.C. Smith General Store

This is another building located at Heritage Village. The building contains a general store, a barbershop and on the right side, just on the edge of the frame, an early 1900s service station. This image is another composite. Once again, I used a combination of LED lights and the Brinkmann. All the buildings are locked up at night, so I had to use a side window in order to light up the interior. I also wanted the light from the interior to appear to be spilling out into the street, so I did a couple takes by turning the light around and pointing it into the street. I stood in the doorway, so the light and me were in the shot! Using a mask, I was able to mask the unwanted light out of that layer. I also wanted the barber pole to be lit up, so I held an LED flashlight behind it and moved it up and down during the exposure. I applied a little light to the Coca-cola sign above it as well as the Coke cooler on the right side of the porch. There is also a sign describing the store on the right. I kept that area as dark as possible and I put a black jacket over it and a garbage can in front of it to try to disguise it. I applied some light to the trees behind the store so it wouldn’t be total darkness behind it. There were three of us taking turns applying the light to this building and it took over an hour to record all the layers that were used in the final image!

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Gazebo

The gazebo is a more recent addition to Heritage Village and the two park volunteers who were assisting us indicated that they didn’t have a good picture of it. So, on our last night at the Village, we decided to capture this image! This is also a composite. When I created the dark frame, I got a nice night sky with a few stars, so I used that image for the background. We light the gazebo in pieces with an LED light, including the ground, and the roof. I decided that the gazebo would look really nice with some people inside, so I place the two volunteers inside and did a couple images of them. Since they were against the dark trees in the background, it was rather easy to put them into the final image. I did have to put a little mask around the gentleman’s shirt, as one of the support posts in the back were bleeding through in the original composite. Finally, this image was photographed with a 17mm lens on a full frame sensor. Therefore, the gazebo was quite distorted in the original image and looked like it was falling backwards. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a tilt-shift lens with me – so I adjusted the final image in Photoshop with the Viewpoint plug-in from DxO labs.

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SERVICE STATION The Village Garage is a turn of the century service station that is part of the same building as the general store at Heritage Village. I was attracted to the old fuel pump and decided that portrait mode was the best frame. The final image is a composite. I did an extended dark exposure in order to record the sky in one exposure. Also note that the light at the top of the fuel pump and the light over the garage door are not operational! I used the same technique that I used for the general store barber pole, which is to put a small light behind the Mobilegas logo and also to place a light under the light reflector over the garage door. Although I had a ladder with me on this night, I used a paint pole with a grip to hold the flashlight and extended it so that it could reach to the areas I wanted to light. I did one take with the light behind the fuel

pump, and another with a light reaching up to the reflector over the garage door. I did couple additional images with the flashlight turned around to create the effect of the light sources on the building wall. I also had a flashlight that delivered a strong blue light and I did one exposure with that light in order to create the blue moonlight effect on the building and the ground. I finished up by skimming a light on the brick driveway and a pass on the fuel pump itself.

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VENEZELLOS

I found this old abandoned fishing boat in downtown Apalachicola, Florida. It appears it was set up as a monument to the fishermen in the area as it has a white picket fence around it and a bench nearby, but it hasn’t been kept up and now the weeds are growing up around it and the poor thing is falling apart. Perfect for a light painting! I had a real challenge with this image since there is a street light right next to the boat. I found I had to drop the ISO to 100, close the aperture to f/25 and limit my exposures to about 6 seconds. Anything more and the light from the streetlight intruded. I spent 45 minutes with powerful LCD flashlights, working small sections at a time in order to produce the image above. My biggest challenge was getting enough light on the brick walls behind it and to the rear. I increased the exposure on these takes and then used a mask to hold back the light from the streetlight that intruded. I wanted to light the decaying wood in order to bring out the texture and the peeling paint. I also carefully lit the surrounding vegetation so as not to overpower the boat itself. The sky was from one of the early “dark frame” images I took before I actually began to apply light to the wreck.

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PHYSIOGRAMS

Although this guide references light painting as using a flashlight as a light source, there are many interesting ways that light can become the subject in a light painting. For the images above, I hung the small Streamlight flashlight from the ceiling from a string and just let it swing. The camera was placed on the floor, pointing upward toward the flashlight and the swinging light produced these amazing patterns. To further embellish the capture, I place various colored gels over the camera and/or light to produce the colored lines. For the final image on the bottom right, I combined one of the abstract captures with a picture I took in South Dakota. These images are called "physiograms". The length of the string and actual weight hanging from the string will influence the period of the swing and the final pattern. These images are somewhat like snowflakes in that no two will ever be exactly alike. I’ve seen some really creative works created this way using multiple colored LCD lights used in model RC planes and even using chemical glow sticks. Another popular technique is to ignite a steel wool brush which shoots sparks into the air, but be very careful if you try this as it can be dangerous and could even start a fire!

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Light Painting an entire City! Finally, in case you think that light painting needs to be restricted to table top setups or small landscapes, consider the following URL: http://www.caborian.com/20101022/pintando-con-luz-toda-una-ciudad/ This image is a light painting that was created by the coordination of 50 people to use camera flashes to “paint” the landscape around the city of Toledo in Spain at night! Jose Maria Moreno organized the shoot through the Photographic Association of Toledo. It took a considerable amount of effort and experimentation to produce the final image and they also had to consider the exposure of the practical city lights in the scene. The final image is an HDR with a EV difference of 3 stops in the panorama and all the flashes were flashed for 30 minutes (about 3,000 times!) for 7 minutes in each of the designated areas. It was carefully timed to allow the camera position to be changed. A total of 200 images were taken! The final image consists of 27 layers in Photoshop, 20 layer masks and 5 actions. It took 9 hours of editing, and in total 6 programs were used and the full size 16-bit image is 1.7GB! The details and sample images are located on the page link above and the explanation is given in both Spanish and English. Still think this technique is only for studio setups and limited landscapes??!!

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Pete Eckert – blind photographer/light painter Pete Eckert is totally, not just legally, blind. Despite this handicap, Pete is an amazing photographer who uses a variation of light painting to create his images. Check out his website at www.peteeckert.com to be inspired as well! Pete was also hired by Playboy magazine, but his nude images were considered to be too “artsy” for the publication! Pete was also the recipient of the Artists Wanted Exposure 2008, an international photography competition and was awarded a prize of $2,008. Mr. Eckert wasn’t always blind and actually started out as a sculpture and industrial designer. He was working as a carpenter when he was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa that eventually led to permanent blindness. After he lost his vision he took up photography. So, check out Pete’s website, get inspired and go out and create some light paintings of your own! We have also included a video about Pete on our website at http://www.thefotobug.net/.

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Resources

If you would like more information about light painting, then I highly recommend some of the following books and websites. If you have any questions, you are always welcome to contact me at jim@thefotobug.com ! Websites www.americanprideandpassion.com - This is Eric Curry’s website which not only has some of Eric’s wonderful images, but also some video tutorials. www.haroldrossfineart.com - Harold is a fine art photographer from Pennsylvania who specializes in light painting. Harold has some fine tutorials on his website and also conducts a number of workshops. Harold has been featured on The Fotobug podcast (www.thefotobug.com and www.thefotobug.net). www.davidblackphotography.com - David is a sports photographer that also does light paintings and has tutorials on his website. David also has a number of video light painting tutorials on Kelby Training (www.kelbytraining.com). www.peteeckert.com - I included this site for inspiration and recommend you take a look at what a blind light painter can do! Books “Painting with Light: Lighting & Photoshop Technique” by Eric Curry. This is a must-have book on light painting! “Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting” by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver, and Paul Fungua. Although this book is not about light painting, it really belongs in every photographer’s library! Podcasts “The Fotobug” – hey, I couldn’t leave out a plug for our podcast! We have lots of great interviews, reviews and how-tos. Podcast site is www.thefotobug.com and our new network and video site is www.thefotobug.net. The podcast is also available through iTunes and all the major RSS feeds! Please be aware that there are many fine software programs, books and websites available. The inclusion of specific products in this guide should not be construed as an endorsement and the exclusion of a product should not be seen as a condemnation. We included some popular examples in order to point you in the right direction.

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I hope you enjoyed this eBook and hopefully it will help you get started creating your own light paintings. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us and please continue to tune in to our bi-weekly podcasts at www.thefotobug.com - or better yet, via one of the major podcast feeds such as iTunes, Zune, or Miro! You can also return the favor to us by leaving us some feedback on iTunes, (or Miro, or even at our website, www.thefotobug.com). We are also on Facebook and would love for you to ‘Like’ us! Please check out our new website at www.thefotobug.net for lots of free training videos.

ⓒ 2013 Jim Caldwell Authored by Jim Caldwell – www.thefotobug.com jim@thefotobug.com