Light painting, also known as light
drawing or light graffiti is a photographic technique in which exposures
are made usually at night or in a darkened room by moving a hand-held
light source or by moving the camera. In many cases the light source
itself does not have to appear in the image.
Technique and equipment:
A variety of light sources can be used,
ranging from simple flashlights to dedicated devices like the
Hosemaster, which uses a fiber optic light pen. Other sources of light
including candles, matches, lighter flints, glowsticks, and Poi are also
popular.
A tripod is usually necessary due to the long exposure times involved.
Alternatively, the camera may be placed on or braced against a table or
other solid support. A shutter release cable or self timer is generally
employed in order to minimize camera shake. Color Gels can also be used
to color the light sources.
Manual focus is often used since autofocus systems may not perform well
in low light. In addition, photographers often use a slow film speed or
low ISO setting on a digital sensor to minimize grain (or digital noise)
and increase exposure tolerance, as evaluating exposure is often
tricky.
Here we have a gallery of light painting photographies… We hope you will enjoy it!