Photography 12
Lesson #7 Painting with Light
Big Idea:
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To explore how to create images using long exposures. How will I control light to create compositions that are both abstract and realistic?
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How will I use this knowledge gained through experimentation to create dynamic and innovative exposures?
Growth as a photographer is dependent on perseverance, resilience, and reflection.
Learning Goal: To learn how to capture images that reflect a strong understanding of timed exposure photography and use this knowledge to create unique and exciting personal imagery.
Experiment:
- Research painting with light and EXPERIMENT. Images should demonstrate an exploration of a number of different methods that can be used to "paint with light".
- Try stationary and moving lights.
- Try working illustratively as well as abstractly - think about the elements and principles of design - working shapes, line, creation of form, movement, rhythm....
After experimenting you will have gained an understanding of how you enjoy working with manipulating light and long exposures. Choose a personal theme to work with and set off to shoot with this theme in mind. This is your opportunity to explore in depth your area of interest. Remember composition!
Link – Painting with light
Link - DIY Painting with light tools
- Please shoot the highest quality jpeg your camera will allow.
Where to start
- Camera - manual mode
- ISO 100 - the lower the better in most cases.
- Use a tripod
- Aperture - start with f-11 and increase if shots are overexposed (background should be black).
- Shutter speed - this is the variable that you will experiment with - 1" - 2" - 30" to Blub (shutter will be open as long as you depress the stutter button). Keep in mind that the longer your shutter speed the higher your F number.
- Manual focus - shine light on the area you would like to be in focus and auto focus and then change to manual focus and then don't touch.
Experiment from here, each location will be different so these settings will need to be tweaked accordingly.
Assignment:
For this assignment, you will turn in 4 different photos taken using the light painting technique. You will also turn in a contact sheet showing that you took at least 24 photos for this assignment. View this document to see the following instructions with sample photographs.
Equipment needed:
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Camera
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Tripod
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Lights
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Cable Release (optional)
Camera Settings:
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Mode Dial: M
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ISO: 100
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F/stop: f/11
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Shutter Speed: 4” to Bulb
Photo #1
For this photo, take a light painting photo with a shutter speed of 4 to 8 seconds. Keep this photo simple as you won’t have a lot of time. Your light painting should be flat, meaning the light should not move closer to or farther away from the camera.
Photo #2
For this photo, take a light painting photo with a shutter speed of 15 seconds. In this photo the light should create depth. Do this by moving the light toward or away from the camera.
Photo #3
For this photo take a light painting photo with a shutter speed of 30”. You must include a person in this photo and the person should be interacting with the light in some way.
Photo #4
Final creative photo of your choice. For this photo, you might want to set your shutter speed to bulb and take a photo with an exposure longer than 1 minute. If you have a cable release, use that, but if not, find someone who can gently (so that they don’t shake the camera) hold the shutter release down the entire time. Get creative with this one and see what you can create. Experiment with different colours (christmas lights at home? App on your phone to make the screen different colours? glow sticks?)
Find student past examples here