Introduction to Light Painting | Light Painting Photography - light-paint.com

Light Painting, sometimes called light drawing or Light Art Performance Photography (LAPP), put simply is the movement of lights in front of a camera while the shutter is open over a period of time.  The resulting image shows the light or light source in a single exposure, often with dramatic and stunning results!

The term ‘Light painting’ also applies to images where the subject has been lit, usually by hand using a flashlight, during the exposure.  This can often encompass the use of coloured light sources, patterns or selective lighting, and lighting from unusual angles.

Light Painting as an art form is still in the experimental stage, and growing rapidly in popularity.  It can be great fun finding or building tools, experimenting with light and being amazed at the results!

Shapes and Effects

Any number of shapes can be created within the frame using moving lights.  There are various techniques to precisely control the movement of the light sources to create these intricate patterns or shapes.  Some guides can be found on the tutorials page.

Here are a few examples of some basic shapes and effects

Orb

Dome

Wire Wool

Landscapes and Foreground Elements

The shapes created are only half the story… the scene the shape sits in is equally as important as the shapes themselves. The setting can really make an image come to life and put your creation into context.

Think about the background setting before you even open the shutter. Compose your image with a background that suits the look you are going for. You can incorporate foreground elements into your image too.

Let me give you an example… You may be on the beach creating an orb. Although the orb on its own is nice, there isn't anything stopping you incorporating the skyline behind your orb, and adding a bit more interest using rocks, pools of water, break-waters or anything else you find in the foreground. You can light the foreground elements using a torch if necessary, while the sky will illuminate itself if the shutter is left open for long enough.

How can I try this out?

You can try out light painting yourself with a few basic tools. As you develop you’ll find your collection of tools will grow and grow, however just a camera and a simple light source such as a torch are all that are needed to get going.

Basic Setup

The most basic setup you will need is A Digital SLR (or any camera that lets you control shutter speed manually), A Tripod (you don’t want your camera moving while you’re painting), A Light source (just a torch will do)

Now, find yourself a dark room, or head off to a location at night – darkness is a fundamental requirement for light painting! If your location isn't dark your light source won’t show up and the scene will over-expose.

Set your camera up on the tripod and compose any foreground and background elements within the frame. This can be a bit tricky at first in the dark so think about where each element is within the frame.

Camera Settings

Set your camera to manual mode and dial in a shutter speed. If you have the ability to lock your shutter open in BULB mode then set your camera to this. This will usually require a shutter-release cable or remote control. If you can’t do this set your camera to the maximum shutter time, usually 30 seconds.

Set the aperture, of course this will depend on the scene and you’ll get the hang of which setting works well for specific scenes. To begin set to a mid-way f-stop, around f/11 and adjust later if needed.

You’re now ready to go! Release your shutter and wave some lights around. See what happens, get experimenting!

What next?

Build some tools and learn some techniques!

I have written a selection of tutorials covering some of the techniques used and guiding you through the building of your tools.
View the Light Painting Tutorials

You may also want to take a look at my collection of tools, each with a brief explanation as to what they do.
View Light Painting Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

I have answered a few of the questions I often get asked in the FAQ