The Ultimate Guide to Light Painting Photography

Have you ever looked at a Light Painting photo and wondered how this magic was created behind the scenes? Or do you want to try your hand at Light Painting yourself, but are not sure how to go about it?

Since there's a little more involved in Light Painting photography than pointing and shooting, we thought we'd put together a complete guide to Light Painting to help you get started. Read on to find out all you need to know about Light Painting photography.

What is Light Painting and how does it work?

First things first: what is Light Painting, and how do you take a Light Painting photo?

Light Painting is a technique used by photographers to capture motion with a light source. Photographers can paint with light using a moving light source to add streaks, lines, or flashes of light within an image, that can form a pattern, a shape, or even spell out words.

Sounds too complicated for the everyday photographer? It's not! Light Painting can be achieved easily with just a few pieces of camera equipment, a dark room, and a whole lot of creativity!

Light Painting equipment you'll need to get started

Here are the basic pieces of camera gear needed to capture cool Light Painting photoswith ease:

• A camera with manual settings. Capturing beautiful Light Painting photos is helped along with some key camera settings, which we'll explain further along. So, you need a camera that can control the settings of the exposure triangle for best success. A mirrorless camera is a great choice of camera for Light Painting. For better results, choose a mirrorless camera with a large image sensor to produce less digital noise when photographing in the dark.
• A tripod. To capture the trails of light, the shutter speed of your camera needs to be open for a prolonged period. Handheld, your camera will produce considerable motion blur, so a simple tripod is the solution. Make sure it can handle the weight of your camera and lens but is still lightweight enough to carry around.

• An artificial light source. The light source is what will be captured in your Light Painting photo, and what you'll use to create the trail of light. This part is really up to you and your desired outcome. Common light sources include flashlights, lasers, glow sticks, strobes, candles, and even your smartphone's torch. Don't be afraid to use light sources of different colours - it will look amazing in your photos!
• Remote release. When using long-exposure photography settings, you want to avoid bumping your camera to keep the image sharp. Firing your shutter remotely can be done with a dedicated remote control or cable release, or if your camera has Bluetooth connectivity you can sometimes achieve this with an app. Another option to reduce blur is to use the self-timer function of your camera.

Recommended Light Painting Products

The best Light Painting camera settings

Thankfully, the required camera settings for Light Painting are relatively simple. With these Light Painting tips and a little bit of trial and error, you can achieve fantastic results.

• ISO. When shooting in darkness, your first instinct may be to raise the ISO. But when it comes to Light Painting, the shutter should remain open for a long time so you have time to paint with light. Start with your ISO at 100 and adjust it later if necessary.
• Aperture. Set the aperture of your lens to f8-f11 because you want as much of your image to be in focus as possible when Light Painting. A good depth of field is what you're after.

• Shutter speed. It's important to understand how to take long-exposure photos, as your shutter should remain open for as long as one minute while you paint.Some cameras allow you to select long shutter speeds, while others require you to set the camera to bulb and open and close the shutter as required.

Top tip: If you're in front of your camera, consider using a stopwatch so you can keep track of how long your shutter has been open and how long you have left to complete your masterpiece. This is especially useful if you're trying to spell out a word with Light Painting - try not to run out of time before the shutter stops!

Our best Light Painting tips

Now for the fun part. Let's discuss how you'll achieve amazing Light Painting results.

• Choose a dark location. This is the most important of the Light Painting tips. You want to find somewhere that's dark and without distractions from other natural light sources.
• Think before you paint. When you are just experimenting, it can be fun to set your camera to bulb and paint blindly. But when you want to create a visual masterpiece we recommend having a plan in mind to direct your choices.

• Use simple patterns. Simple light-painted patterns are often more successful and striking than intricate ones. For example, use your light source to create a perfect circle, figure 8, or star. You can always add to your repertoire and combine these elements as you become more experienced.
• Trace around objects. A great way to produce more varied patterns is to trace objects within your frame. This can include the outline of a human, tree, building, or whatever you imagine.

Get started with Light Painting photography today

Now that you know more about Light Painting photography and Light Painting techniques,find all the gear you need to get creative with light, from cameras to tripods and photography lights. Browse our site today, or visit one of our stores to get advice from our expert staff.