# Light Painting



## JennEcho (Feb 13, 2013)

I searched for a theme on this topic and didn't see one by this title, so if it's OK, I'll start one.  

I used a special technique of lighting painting to get this image.  I have several more if anyone is interested.

With Child


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## Buckster (Feb 13, 2013)

1.





2.





The "other" kind of painting with light - long exposure and a flashlight moved around on the subject to "paint" it with light:

3.


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## jamesbjenkins (Feb 13, 2013)

Buckster said:


> 1.
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> 2.
> 
> ...



Did you have to use a ND filter to create those? I haven't seen that much intricate detail on a light painting shot before...

Very cool.


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## Buckster (Feb 13, 2013)

jamesbjenkins said:


> Buckster said:
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> > 1.
> ...


Thank you kindly!  No ND's used on these.  Just straight up long exposures on bare, non-filtered lenses, late at night.

With the top one, I set the scene with camera @ ISO 100, on a tripod, pre-focused and set to bulb, then took my place in front of the camera at my pre-determined 'mark #1', where I'd pre-focused, then triggered the shutter by remote, and began the making of the photo. During the 176 second exposure, I performed the making of the orb using LED's wrapped in orange gels, with small holes that allowed the LED's to peek through to capture their blue light from certain angles. When the orb was complete, I went to my pre-arranged 'mark #2' to pose with the imaginary orb, and remote triggered two speedlights - one between the two trees on the right side of the composition to serve as a main and to help with the illusion that I'm being lit by the orb, and the other to camera left to help fill the scene and light the bark.

The shot below that was actually just one of the test shots I made while working out timings and so on to make the shot above it.


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## cwcaesar (Feb 13, 2013)

Very nice stuff!  I really like the 'other' way to paint with light.  I have thought about 'painting' barns with light at the suggestion of a friend.  I really like the way this looks!


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## Buckster (Feb 13, 2013)

JennEcho said:


> I used a special technique of lighting painting to get this image.  I have several more if anyone is interested.


I'd love to see them.  Would love to know your "special technique" as well, but I know a lot of folks don't like to reveal the "magic".


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## RobN185 (Feb 13, 2013)

I had a go with "domes" not so long back, these are a few of them.  

*"Garden Gdomes"
*
1. 3 light source.






2. 






3. 






Interested to know how you did yours....


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## Buckster (Feb 13, 2013)

Cool dome shots!  I've been meaning to do some of those, but haven't gotten round to it yet.  Maybe this spring I'll finally do it.

Are you asking "how" on mine or Jenn's?


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## RobN185 (Feb 13, 2013)

Buckster said:


> Cool dome shots!  I've been meaning to do some of those, but haven't gotten round to it yet.  Maybe this spring I'll finally do it.
> 
> Are you asking "how" on mine or Jenn's?



Thanks Buckster.

Whoever is willing to divulge, I'm willing to learn from


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## Buckster (Feb 13, 2013)

RobN185 said:


> Buckster said:
> 
> 
> > Cool dome shots!  I've been meaning to do some of those, but haven't gotten round to it yet.  Maybe this spring I'll finally do it.
> ...


Well, like the devices used to make dome shots, I've built an apparatus to gain enough control for the orb to look so perfectly round, as it does  in #1.  Basically, I have a pole about 3 feet tall with a point on the bottom that goes into the ground as a pivot point.  A handle on it allows me to control it.  Towards the top of that pole I've affixed a pulley with 2 old fishing pole rods sticking out from it.  On the ends of the rods are the LED's which I wrap in gels to get different colors.  The wires run down the poles toward the pulley, where I've put the batteries to run them, as well as an on/off switch.

So, while slowly turning the pulley/fishing poles/LEDs, I also pivot the pole stuck in the ground around it's axis.

As for Jen's, I have no idea, but pressed for a guess, I'd go with a long exposure of a screen saver.

Here are some of my very first experiments with painting with light.  I shot these back in 1976:

1. Electric Tunnel





2. Electric Fence





3. Levitate


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## RobN185 (Feb 13, 2013)

Buckster said:


> RobN185 said:
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> > Buckster said:
> ...



Yikes, this makes my bike wheel on a stick seem positively primitive!
I had to read it a few times just to take it in, but the end results are very cool.
Many thanks for the detail Buckster - and Kudos for the 70's shots! :hail:


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## JennEcho (Feb 13, 2013)

Buckster said:


> JennEcho said:
> 
> 
> > I used a special technique of lighting painting to get this image. I have several more if anyone is interested.
> ...



Thanks!  Here are a few more:

Bird in Flight


Broken Heart


Hummingbird


Angelic


What do you think?


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## Tony S (Feb 13, 2013)

Kids having fun in the dark with LED light sabres...


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## ATVrider43 (Feb 13, 2013)

OKAY!!! How in the world do you do that? LOL that is awesome!!


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## JennEcho (Feb 13, 2013)

Tony S said:


> Kids having fun in the dark with LED light sabres...



OH I LOVE THOSE COLORS!  Very beautiful!


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## MiFleur (Feb 13, 2013)

130122_8197 Playing with the light by MiFleur, Back to normal, on Flickr


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## JennEcho (Feb 14, 2013)

MiFleur said:


> 130122_8197 Playing with the light by MiFleur, Back to normal, on Flickr



I'm a fan of lighting painting especially when colored lights are involved.


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## Benco (Feb 14, 2013)

Love this stuff, really must have a go at it sometime.


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## JennEcho (Feb 14, 2013)

Benco said:


> Love this stuff, really must have a go at it sometime.



Hi Benco .. nice to meet you ... give it a try?  I'd like to see what you come up with.


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## Benco (Feb 14, 2013)

Thanks JennEcho, nice to meet you too. 

I will experiment with painting with light, saw a u-tube video of how to do stuff like Buckster's 3rd photo and found it inspirational. Still getting to grips with my first 'real' camera right now (I've had my D7000 for a just a week) but I'll get to it.


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## JennEcho (Feb 14, 2013)

Benco said:


> Thanks JennEcho, nice to meet you too.
> 
> I will experiment with painting with light, saw a u-tube video of how to do stuff like Buckster's 3rd photo and found it inspirational. Still getting to grips with my first 'real' camera right now (I've had my D7000 for a just a week) but I'll get to it.



I think everything I photograph ends up being an experiment! LOL


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## Red_John (Mar 20, 2013)

A guy known as Photo Extremist makes great stuff on this. Check is book


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## VojislavM (Mar 21, 2013)

Some of my work with light painting.  More can be seen at my site www.vojislavmarkovic.com


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## JennEcho (Mar 21, 2013)

VojislavM said:


> Some of my work with light painting.  More can be seen at my site www.vojislavmarkovic.com
> 
> View attachment 39470 View attachment 39472



I think these 2 are my favs!  I love how you used both blue and violet/purple with the guitar, and the green on the woman is really striking!

btw .. your English is just fine!


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## VojislavM (Mar 21, 2013)

Thank you Jenn very much!  I am self learner when it comes to English so I'm always afraid that I will say (write) something in a wrong way and someone will misunderstand what I'm trying to say.But I'm giving my best.  Thanks again for your kind words!


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## JennEcho (Mar 21, 2013)

VojislavM said:


> Thank you Jenn very much!  I am self learner when it comes to English so I'm always afraid that I will say (write) something in a wrong way and someone will misunderstand what I'm trying to say.But I'm giving my best.  Thanks again for your kind words!



Well .. my English isn't perfect, either, and I grew up speaking it!  

How long have you been doing photography?  You're very good at it.


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## VojislavM (Mar 22, 2013)

Thanks again!You are too kind!  Im involved in photography since elementary school.Some of my photos at my site are more than 20 years old.Back then I had an analog Russian camera Zenit XP which is broke after years of usage.Now unfortunately I dont own a camera because I cant afford it, so sometimes I borrow from a friend his Canon EOS 550D.Or simply shooting with my mobile phone.  I dream about having some professional camera and lights so I can make even better photos.I really have some crazy ideas in my head to make fantastic and unusual photos.


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## JennEcho (Mar 22, 2013)

VojislavM said:


> Thanks again!You are too kind!  Im involved in photography since elementary school.Some of my photos at my site are more than 20 years old.Back then I had an analog Russian camera Zenit XP which is broke after years of usage.Now unfortunately I dont own a camera because I cant afford it, so sometimes I borrow from a friend his Canon EOS 550D.Or simply shooting with my mobile phone.  I dream about having some professional camera and lights so I can make even better photos.I really have some crazy ideas in my head to make fantastic and unusual photos.



I've only been at this photography thing seriously for like 5 years or so ... I dream of a professional camera, too! LOL  Maybe some day.

What sort of crazy ideas for photos do you have?


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## VojislavM (Mar 23, 2013)

I have all sorts of ideas.To expand this levitating idea and achieve more astonishing results,then some new ideas with light painting etc.Many ideas just sitting in my head.  I really hope that both,you and I will fulfill our dreams and have professional camera some day.


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## machinehater (Mar 24, 2013)

Hey!
This is my first post here! I am from North-Italy and i've taken some lightpainting shots, so i call myself a beginner, hehe.

I hope i posted them here in the right way.

  

 


Nice greetings
Armin


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## Ilovemycam (Mar 24, 2013)

Nice work, thanks for all the pix.


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## EIngerson (Mar 24, 2013)

Really interested in the process for those dome shots. pretty awesome work.

Here's one of my steel wool shots.



New 3 by Ingerson Photo, on Flickr


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## Geaux (Mar 24, 2013)

Second attempt at  Light Painting by NOLA_2T, on Flickr


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## machinehater (Mar 25, 2013)

Pretty neat, what was the light source? 
Love the reflections on those black things!


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## RobN185 (Mar 25, 2013)

EIngerson said:


> Really interested in the process for those dome shots. pretty awesome work.



Thanks Eric - Here is a link on how to do the domes...Chris Benbow Light Painting Dome Tutorial | Light Painting Photography


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## Geaux (Mar 25, 2013)

machinehater said:


> Pretty neat, what was the light source?
> Love the reflections on those black things!



Colored part in back is a childs light wand that changes colors
everything else is lit with led keychain separately from above and under through glass table.
Room was completely dark.


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## EIngerson (Mar 27, 2013)

RobN185 said:


> EIngerson said:
> 
> 
> > Really interested in the process for those dome shots. pretty awesome work.
> ...



That's awesome, thank you.


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## RobN185 (Mar 27, 2013)

EIngerson said:


> RobN185 said:
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> > EIngerson said:
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No problem.
If it helps, I used LED xmas tree lights (battery operated) - cost about 5$ on eb@y =  cheap and cheerful!
Good Luck.


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## Mully (Mar 27, 2013)

Check out a program called Flame Painter.....you can make all all kinds of patterns!


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## Benco (Apr 27, 2013)

Finally had a go at painting with light, torch and long exposure.


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## JennEcho (Apr 27, 2013)

wow .. I LOVE LOVE LOVE all of the recent light painting additions.  How did you guys do your individual pics??


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## Benco (Apr 27, 2013)

Thanks Jenn

My two were 15 second exposure, 100 ISO, F16. Lit with a little AA incandescent torch.

Here's one I just did that's a bit different, 3 second, F16, ISO 100, Self portrait lit with a fire steel. Technically just a flash lit photo I suppose but hell...pyromania is such fun!


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## JennEcho (Apr 27, 2013)

Benco said:


> Thanks Jenn
> 
> My two were 15 second exposure, 100 ISO, F16. Lit with a little AA incandescent torch.
> 
> Here's one I just did that's a bit different, 3 second, F16, ISO 100, Self portrait lit with a fire steel. Technically just a flash lit photo I suppose but hell...pyromania is such fun!



NICE! Hope you didn't get burned in the process.  What else have you got to show?


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## TimothyJinx (Apr 27, 2013)

Benco, love those two photos!

Here is my first attempt which I did last week. I totally stole the idea from a tutorial by Dave Black.


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## Benco (Apr 29, 2013)

JennEcho said:


> NICE! Hope you didn't get burned in the process.  What else have you got to show?



Nope, those sparks are really hot but very short duration, you'd have to try pretty hard to burn yourself. Haven't got anything else much, here's another of my firesteel shots:


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## JennEcho (Apr 29, 2013)

Benco said:


> JennEcho said:
> 
> 
> > NICE! Hope you didn't get burned in the process.  What else have you got to show?
> ...



Nice!  What exactly is firesteel?  Is it like sparklers?


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## Benco (Apr 29, 2013)

It's a pyrite rod with a steel striker, it's used for lighting campfires and such.

Light My Fire - Swedish FireSteel 2.0 ®


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## JennEcho (Apr 29, 2013)

Benco said:


> It's a pyrite rod with a steel striker, it's used for lighting campfires and such.
> 
> Light My Fire - Swedish FireSteel 2.0 ®



oh...  that's kind of cool.


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