How to Create Light-Painting Images
Rob Hall streaks the night skies with a headlamp and the Tamron 18-270mm VC PZD lens. |
Article By Jennifer Gidman
Images by Rob Hall |
Everyone's routines relax once summer begins. Families congregate in the evening in the backyard or on the patio, forgoing their usual bedtimes for evening activities long after the sun has descended below the horizon.
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Rob Hall keeps creating summer light shows long after July 4th has come and gone. He'll often gather the kids (and sometimes the rest of the neighborhood) for an impromptu light-painting session, lining the night sky with surreal-looking streaks of color. "Light painting is a great way to extend your photography," he says. "Like any new technique, it takes a bit of practice to dial it in, but the results can be amazing if you keep at it." |
Try your own hand at this photographic art form with the tips Hall provides here.
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Make sure you have the gear you'll need.
I use the Tamron 18-270mm VC PZD lens on my DSLR for light-painting, typically the wider focal lengths (somewhere between 18mm and 50mm). A solid tripod is a must, since any movement will be visible in the end product. You also need a portable light source, such as a flashlight, sparkler, or headlamp, which is what I used for these shots. Optional but handy: a remote release to minimize movement. |
Set up your scene.
Choose a very dark area to take your light-painting photos. All light, even small amounts, will be magnified in your photo. Once your camera is positioned correctly on the tripod, take a photo with your flash on. This helps you set your focus and get your frame set up. Once the focus is set, flip your lens to manual focus. You'll be able to dial it in exactly when you start shooting.
You can also choose to incorporate ambient lighting into your image, like from a distant street lamp or even a motion-sensor light on someone's house. That can be a cool effect, too.
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Prepare your camera.
This is what you'll likely spend most of your time doing to ensure effective light-painting photos. I set my camera to manual, which lets me choose my own settings. For these images, I used the "Bulb" shutter setting since I had a remote trigger. If you don't have a remote, don't fret: Simply set your camera to "Shutter Priority" and choose your exposure. Keep your ISO a little higher than normal - I chose 800 for these pictures.
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Your aperture doesn't need to be wide open. This might sound counterintuitive, since you're shooting in the dark, but your light will be brighter than you think, and your long exposure will greatly enhance the light hitting the sensor.
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"Paint" the sky.
For starters, take a 20- or 30-second exposure, then walk in front of the camera and "paint" the sky with your light. I used a headlamp that I held with my hand. It was weird, because I was in front of the camera and not showing up in the picture. You can't see yourself at all! |
Also, if you're writing words in your image, remember that you'll need to write in reverse, unless you flip the photo in post-processing. |
Have fun while you paint.
Your artistic skills come into play with this type of image - the ideas you can come up with are unlimited. It takes some trial and error to get the light right, but once you get your technique down, you can do some cool things, like experiment with colored lights or sparklers. This is the part where the science of taking a photo gives way to the art. |
Let the kids have a go at it, too. They always have a great time. Your neighbors might think you're a little nuts as you're all waving lights around your backyard at midnight, but when they see the results, they'll want to try it, too!
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