Easy Photography Tips - Painting With Light by Richard Emmanuel

Monet, Renoir and the Impressionists used paint and brushstrokes to simulate the movement of light. There is an artistry to capture the changes in light across time. A famous series of photographs featuring long exposure shots of Pablo Picasso drawing with a light pen were taken in 1949 by Albanian photographer and photoflash pioneer, Gjon Mili. Needless to say, Light Painting, also known as Light Graffiti, is not a new concept but it is a fun and easy one that many photographers have not yet explored. Richard Emmanuel can show you how to use light as a paintbrush and add a new dimension to your photographs.


The concept is simple: While a camera's shutter is open, any light that hits the lens puts paint onto the canvas. The results, however, can be quite extraordinary.

Technological advances have opened many gateways in the world of photography. The introduction of digital photography has made light painting more accessible because you can see your results in real time. This is important since you are then able to make changes and re-shoot images immediately to achieve the desired photograph.

Painting with light has something to offer photographers of all levels. In fact, Emmanuel had already been shooting for over 10 years when he first stumbled upon light painting. He was taking photos at a family function when he noticed that the sparklers in his Cousin Ester's hand created a unique effect in the photograph. This inspired him to convince her to participate in a little experiment. He asked her to write her name, backwards, in the air in front of her with a sparkler. It worked! There, in the photograph, in front of Ester was her name burned into the image. Well, at least part of her name -- the sparklers were too short and burnt out before she could finish. This happy accident was just the beginning of various creative ventures with light painting for Richard Emmanuel.



THE GEAR

*

A Canvas - Use a camera with central shutter speed and/or a B(bulb)-setting, which would allow you to leave the shutter open for as long as you like. If you plan to use the B-setting remember to bring a camera cable release to prevent shaking. Many digital cameras now feature remote control or electronic releases. *

Keep it steady - A nice sturdy tripod is necessary to keep your camera still during the long exposures. *

Paints and Brushes - Any mobile light sources are potential brushes. Just to list a few, you can use flash lights, LCD lights, glow sticks, sparklers, torches, cell phones, light-up toys, biking-lights, torches and fireworks.

You will get the best results through trial and error. Be creative and don't be afraid to introduce filters and reflectors. You can put coloured filters over flashlights as an inexpensive way to create more variety.

THE METHOD

1. Location - Darkness or extremely low lighting is essential due to lengthy exposure time. If you pick a place that is too bright, the effects of the light painting will be muted.
Light painting is often limited to nighttime or in dark rooms. It is easier to control light when you don't have the sun to compete with.

2. Composition - It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with your location in advance and know what the area looks like in the light. Set up your tri-pod and take some sample shots with the flash on. Correct your composition if necessary and choose what you want to reveal from the cloak of darkness.

3. Settings - Set your ISO to 100 and close your aperture as much as possible. If there is still too much light then you can use an ND-filter. Be sure to use a sturdy tri-pod. Choose an exposure time anywhere from 5 seconds to over 40 minutes might be necessary depending on the shoot.

4. Subject - You can choose to freeze a subject into your painting by using flash. Use a hand held flash and not the one on your camera.

5. Graffiti -Begin drawing from the first click. The shutter is open, and now is the time to paint. You can use your light source(s) of choice and different motions to create smooth precise strokes or smudgy smears. Remember, the slower you work the brighter the image will be. But be careful not to "burn holes" into your canvas by over exposing an area unintentionally and burning out the pixels. When the shutter is closed the painting is complete.

Keep in mind that if you have a light source you can turn on and off you can create detached lines but if you use something such as a torch which is not easily put out then relit - it will create a continuous line while the shutter is open and the flame visible.




QUOTES FROM RICHARD EMMANUEL:

"Wherever the light goes, you're making a stroke on your canvas."
"If there's no light, then there's no image."
"Paint with light to create shadows."
CHOOSING A LOCATION:

Deciding whether to shoot indoors versus outdoors on a particular day can simply come down to looking out your window. The main disadvantage of shooting outdoors would be waiting for appropriate nighttime weather conditions. Even Emmanual has had to delay outdoor shoots due to the unpredictable nature of snow storms during Toronto's winter. But do not be discouraged; it is well worth the patience and planning to explore nature, country and cityscapes. In fact, the term "light graffiti" was coined from the use of painting with light on outdoors fixtures such as buildings, mailboxes, trees or any other public fixture. Painting with light is similar in effect to doing so with a can of spray paint. But with digital photography, the only evidence of your crime will be safely stored on your memory card.

On the other hand, working indoors puts you in complete control of your setting. It is unlikely that you will suffer damage your photographic equipment or have trouble keeping flames ablaze due to disagreeable environmental conditions. However, Emmanuel does not advise lighting open flames indoors unless properly equipped for such a venture.

At home you can work in a dark space such as a closet or basement. If there are objects in your room that you would like to "remove" from your painting you can black it out by covering it with a cloth or painting it black prior to the shoot. You can have oddly angled or "floating" subjects to create a surreal effect. You can design images that are entirely generated with the light painting tools onto a completely blacked-out canvas.

"E-MANUEL MODE" TIPS:

*
Wear dark clothing to increase level of invisibility while working in front of the camera. *
Bring a stop watch with an alarm or a friend to keep aware of the amount of time passed. *
Keep spare batteries/light sources. The cold can drain batteries and flashlights very quickly.


Remember, there is no "wrong way" to paint with light. The best thing to do is to get out there and experiment.



About the Author
Richard Emmanuel operates the Academy of Photo Arts, a Toronto-based studio and workshop facility that provides studio and photo travel adventure workshops for all levels of photographers. APA workshops are a perfect opportunity to get outdoors and get creative. Emmanuel is an accomplished international multimedia professional. For more about Richard Emmanuel please visit:

Digital Photography Workshops, Safari Adventures