Get started with light painting

The concept of light painting is very simple. You set your camera to a slow shutter speed and use a light to make a drawing within the frame of your lens. Thanks to the slow shutter speed, lines of light will appear in your photo. If you want impressive results, you'll need a bit of practice. In this article, we'll give your 5 tips to get the best light painting photo.

• Tip 1: be well prepared.
• Tip 2: experiment with light.
• Tip 3: adjust the settings.
• Tip 4: use different light sources.
• Tip 5: take a lot of photos.

Before you get started, think about the image that you want to create. For example, to you want to outline an object or write out Christmas greetings? Then you can start looking for a suitable location for your shoot and make sure it's properly dark. For your first light painting, it's best to look for a completely dark location. That way, your drawings will be most clearly visible. Also ensure stable support for your camera. This can be a table or a tripod. It's important that your camera does't move while you take the photo, or the result will be blurry. And don't forget the most important part, namely the lights you'll use to draw with.

Once you've prepared, it's time to take your first photo. Set your camera to a shutter speed of 30 seconds or so and make your first drawing. Try to aim the lights in different directions, so you can see how that affects the photo. If you aim a light directly at your camera, you'll get a different result than when you aim a light past the lens.

Is the result not to your liking yet? Adjust the settings of your camera. For example, you can increase the ISO value, so your camera becomes more sensitive to light. Keep in mind that you'll get more white noise in your photo. Do you need a slower shutter speed? Set your camera to the bulb setting. That way, you can decide how long the shutter remains open. We recommend using a remote for this. That way, you avoid motion blur.

You can create a light painting with different light sources. Every light source has a different effect on the result. For example, if you choose an LED light, you'll see a clean line in the photo. Do you want a playful result? Use sparklers, but make sure you don't burn yourself. Actually, you can draw with any light source, so you can be as creative as you want. If you are a bit more experienced with light painting, you can incorporate existing light sources into your photo. For example, a street light or a lit tunnel. You can use this technique to amplify the story of your photo.

There are no rules for light paintings. You can be as creative as you want to be. Can't manage to capture what you had in mind? Don't worry. Just keep practicing. Take a lot of photos and try all sorts of things. At some point, you'll figure out how your camera reacts to light. Once you've done that, making a light painting will be a piece of cake.