Light Painting

Light painting....right about now you are probably wondering what that could be and what on earth it has to do with photography! Well it is in fact a very easy way to have fun and take great photographs that give you alot of creative freedom. And all you need is a camera (digital preferably but you can use film), tripod, light of some kind and darkness.

The simplest way that I can explain light painting is to say that you adjust the shutter speed setting on your camera so that it stays open for as long as it possibly can. This is why you need the darkness, because the longer the shutter is open the more light it will let in to the camera. Therefore if you tried to take a photo like this during the day all you would get is a white screen/picture as there as too much light. But when you take it in the dark and you provide the light source you are able to basically paint with the light.

The tripod is used to keep the camera very still as any movement while taking the photo will blur the image as the shutter is still open. The source of light can be anything from a flash light or street light to even a sparkler or campfire. You can even use a full moon as your source of light as long as its a clear night and the surrounding area is dark enough.

Light painting enables you to write, draw or just illuminate objects in your photos. The possiblities of shots using this technique are endless and surprisingly fun to do!

Take a look at the examples provided taken right here on Rhodes campus!