Creating Unique Photos: An Introduction to Light Painting

If you have not tried light painting before, it is a fun and challenging way to experiment and create unique images or augment your existing lighting. This great video will show you how to get started with the technique.

Coming to you from Gab Loste of gabpolitely, this fun video will show you how to get started with light painting. If you have not seen light painting before, it is a unique way of lighting your images. The basic premise is that you find a dark environment, set up a long exposure, then use a handheld constant light source to quickly move through the scene and light up different portions as you wish. This can be for more augmenting more traditional lighting, such as architectural work (our own Mike Kelley uses this technique in "Where Art Meets Architecture 2: How To Photograph Luxury Homes and Advanced Photoshop Techniques") or for more creative experimentation, such as the portraits you will see in the video above. Just be sure to keep moving through the frame and wear dark clothing to avoid exposing yourself in the image. Take an hour and try it out for yourself; it can be a ton of fun! 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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nice