Photography is about recording light. Light painting, also known as light drawing/light graffiti is a photographic technique that usually involves moving hand held light sources around in a dark place. However careful movement of a camera up/down at the time the shutter is pressed can also result in interesting light painting effects
- The first step is to point the camera at a bright light source at night, preferably a colourful building or organisational logo.
- Set your shutter speed to 1/4 second. An SLR camera may need a different, probably faster shutter speed depending on the lens used.
- Set your ISO to 800 if using a compact camera. Your camera may need this to be set lower if using an SLR.
- Focus the camera on the logo or other most colourful part of the building
- Press the camera shutter while moving the camera either up or down using your wrists only. Keep the rest of your arms still.
Interesting concept ‘photography is about recording light’ – very true and something I hadn’t considered before. This is a technique you can employ anywhere but the bright lights of cities probably best capture this notion.
Exciting idea ‘photography is about documenting light’ – very real and something I had not regarded before. This is a strategy you can hire anywhere but the shiny lighting of places probably best catch this view.