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Lightpainting....from the BeginningWorkshop at the Ranch Hi and welcome to this edition of
Workshop at the Ranch. Last month I posted an article about a
workshop that I had taught in Arches, Utah. I included an image
of the famous Balanced Rock that I lightpainted, and eventually
conducted a lightpainting class for the workshop at that location.
Many of you emailed me through my website and asked to learn more
about lightpainting. Past issues of WATR (January 2003 and December
2004) have addressed this technique, but for those who are new
to the WATR and for those that enjoy lightpainting, here is another
tutorial on LIGHTPAINTING.....
Some common mistakes of first time lightpainters are: Forgetting to turn off the auto focus. Standing next to the camera to lightpaint (get yourself off to the sides of the subject while lightpainting for a more dramatic lighting effect.) Forgetting to turn on the Long Exposure Noise Reduction. Being rushed to lightpaint (if you need more than 30 seconds of exposure time buy an electric shutter release like a Nikon MC-20). And my personal favorite ...not having any power left in your flashlight when you are finished for the night and you can't find your way back to your vehicle in pitch darkness. Keep a spare Mag Light in your pocket or use a head lamp. Well,.....I hope you have enjoyed this session and are ready to make some lightpaintings of your own. It's fun and produces an interesting and stylish image. Remember, start small and work your way up to bigger and more complex subjects. See you next time here at Workshop at the Ranch ...................Adios. Dave
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Image
#1 START SMALL ... My suggestion is to start small and learn
the basics before you tackle a large scale lightpainting
with a model or giant outdoor landscape. The text for this
image will act as our basic set up for lightpainting. A
dark environment is needed so as to allow a long exposure
which allows enough time to lightpaint. As with all lightpaintings
I use a Tripod, usually a Gitzo carbon fiber tripod with
a SLIK Super Ball Head and Kirk L Bracket to hold the camera
motionless. I will set the camera on Self Timer. The self
timer provides enough time, as much as 30 seconds, should
I need to walk to the subject before the shutter opens.
I will need to Pre Focus on my subject (the golf ball) and
then turn off the auto focus so that when the shutter is
tripped the auto focus won't be searching in the dark while
I am lightpainting. I will use a long exposure. How long?
..... Well, long enough to have enough time to lightpaint
my subject and sometimes the entire scene. In the case of
this golf ball, 2 seconds on the Masters logo, 3 seconds
on the ball and 5 seconds on the grass, a total of 10 seconds
of exposure time....in the case of something really big,
a barn for example, 1 or 2 minutes might be needed. It all
depends on how fast and how efficient you are at lightpainting.
I will use the lowest ISO I can, 100 or 200 depending on
your camera. I choose a White Balance ...in this case Cloudy.
I must turn on the Long Exposure Noise Reduction mode in
my camera to prevent any noise build up in the image. For
this image I used a Nikon 70-200mm VR Lens and a TC 14E
1.4 Teleconverter Zoomed to 200mm to create a small depth
of field (a macro lens is also very useful). This shallow
depth of field helps to concentrate my viewer's eye on the
Masters logo and not the grass. Now I am ready to determine
the aperture and my exposure. For this image I want a dark
environment so I can "REVEAL" the ball and grass
with lightpainting. I do not want any ambient light to illuminate
any part of this picture. I determine the exposure with
the in camera meter, ... An aperture of f2.8 at ISO200 with
a 10 second exposure time would allow some ambient light
in the scene, but I want it dark so I under expose by 3
stops ...f8. I Take a shot and Take a look at the LED screen
and I see that I have a picture that is completely DARK.
Now the fun part. I want the Masters logo to be the main
focus of attention. I will draw attention to it by adding
a little light from a small pen light called a Stream Light
Stylus. I found my Stream Light Stylus at a Batteries Plus
store but I have seen them sold in automotive and hardware
stores as well. I press the shutter ...the self timer begins
to count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, CLICK, the shutter opens (I
am very close so I needed only a 5 second self timer setting
to get myself ready to lightpaint) ...I point the Stream
Light at the Masters Logo about 5 inches away and turn it
on for 2 seconds, then I pull the Stream Light back to 12
inches away from the ball and add 3 more seconds on the
entire golf ball, I then moved the Stream Light to the side
and revealed the grass with 5 seconds of light from about
12 inches away ...CLICK, the shutter closes and my 10 second
exposure is complete. The 2 seconds of light on the logo
"Reveals" the logo perfectly while the additional
3 seconds on the ball reveal it a little less intensly as
I pulled the Stream Light back from 5 inches to 12 inches
from the ball (farther away means less light intensity).
The 5 seconds of light from the Stream Light reveals some
grass detail. I try and move the Stream Light (or any light
source) in a swirling motion so as to feather the light
on the subject (logo and ball) rather than holding the Stream
Light still which results in over exposing and creates a
hot spot. I will make 10 or so lightpaintings until I get
the desired lighting effect and intensity I want. By lightpainting
small objects you can easily become comfortable with the
basic concept of lightpainting.
Image #2 A LITTLE BIGGER ... After doing several different
small lightpaintings, try something a little bigger. Here
is Jeff Gordon's NASCAR engine. All the same basics from image
#1 will apply. Make sure you have a dark environment to shoot
in. Secure the camera with a tripod. Set the Self Timer based
on how long it might take you to press the shutter and be
ready to lightpaint. Pre Focus on the subject and then turn
off the auto focus so your lens won't be auto focus searching
in the dark. Use a Low ISO. Choose a WB ... I chose Shade
(or 10,000K) to add some extra golden warmth to the engine.
Turn on Long Exposure Noise Reduction mode in the camera.
Decide how long you will need to lightpaint ...in this case,
30 seconds. Now choose the aperture ...in this case I am in
a completely dark room, I want a large depth of field so I
can have all the parts of the engine in focus ....so I chose
f11. I take a shot and take a look, ...yes, perfectly dark.
The only thing that will be illuminated is what I choose to
REVEAL from the darkness with lightpainting. I used a small
MAG LIGHT for this image. I placed a blue gel over the front
of the Mag Light to illuminate certain parts of the engine
with a blue color while other parts of the engine used no
gel at all and allowed the warm WB to warm-up those engine
parts. I also wore dark clothing and I am actually standing
in the picture next to the engine during the 30 second exposure.
As long as I don't illuminate myself I will not be visible
in the picture. This closeness to my subject allows me to
lightpaint many details of the engine. I have wrapped a small
piece of black tape around the end of the Mag Light that extends
about 1 inch beyond the front element to act as a "SNOOT"
so the front element of the Mag Light is not visible in the
picture. If you don't make a small snoot you will probably
see light streaks in the picture of the Mag Light itself.
I also keep the Mag Light in constant motion while I lightpaint.
If I hold the Mag Light still there will usually be an overexposed
area or "hot spot" in the picture. A swirling motion
while painting your subject helps to produce a smooth "painterly"
effect with no hot spots. I made 25 frames of Jeff's engine
and examined each image on the LED screen in order to make
corrections and improve with each attempt. Several were good
but this one was the best combination of Blues and Golds,
Lights and Darks with smooth transitions and modeling of light
around the engine parts.
Image #3 BIGGER YET ... After becoming efficient at that
size of subject, now move on to something bigger yet, a
real live person. By now the basics are becoming second
nature to you ..........Darkness, Tripod, Self Timer, Pre
Focus, Turn Off Auto Focus, Low ISO, Choose a WB, Turn on
Long Exposure Noise Reduction, Choose a Shutter Speed (how
long will it take you to lightpaint the subject), Choose
the Aperture (depending on whether you want any of your
subject visible with ambient light or a completely dark
background) ...in this image I wanted a perfectly dark background.
This was my choice ...I wanted the cowboy to be Revealed
only with lightpainting from a black background so as to
convey a very dramatic and oil painting quality. Remember
to keep the light in constant motion, both on your subject
and a swirling motion of the flash light itself to prevent
any hot spots. I used a medium sized Mag Light for this
image, but there are many flashlights on the market to choose
from. Recently I find myself using the INOVA brand. INOVA
makes several sizes of LED flashlights. I like the INOVA
X03 and X5 for the "Life Size" full body portrait
lightpaintings. Remember to make a snoot so you can work
close to the subject and not see the front element of the
flashlight .
Image #4 B I G G E R ... So far I have been revealing subjects
from a dark environment and dark background, but that is now
going to change. This time I want to see my background ...the
sky ... about 45 minutes after sunset. All the same basics
apply ...with the exception of complete darkness. In this
image I only made sure I had darkness on my subject but not
my background .... can you say SILHOUETTE? ..... sure you
can! I exposed for the sky and allowed my subject to be in
silhouette. OK, you know the drill .... Tripod, Self Timer
...(for this image 30 seconds would be required for me to
press the shutter and walk over to the Juniper Tree before
the shutter opened and I could begin lightpainting), Pre Focus,
Turn Off Auto Focus, Low ISO, Choose WB (in this image a cool
WB of 3600K or Fluorescent will help really blue the sky),
Turn on Long Exposure Noise Reduction, Choose Shutter Speed
(how long to paint ...30 seconds for this image), Choose the
Aperture ...in this case determine your aperture by exposing
for the background (sky) ...and you can do that by Take a
Shot - Take a Look ...(this image was f11). The bigger subject
required a bigger light. I Revealed the tree using a 2 Million
Candle VECTOR SPORT SPOTLIGHT. There are several brands so
don't worry if you can't find a Vector Sport Spotlight. The
important requirement is 2 MILLION CANDLES. Anything less
is not enough ........ anything more seems to be too big to
hand hold and difficult swirl around for a soft lighting effect.
This exposure of the sky (ISO200, 30 seconds Shutter Speed
and f11) also revealed a few stars in the night sky. I do
not make a snoot for a light this big. I use a 20 degree Grid
and simply place the grid over the front element of my spot
light. I also lightpainted the tree from both sides off camera
and even while laying down behind the tree. This way the light
would not be seen in the picture. It's fun and good exercise.
Image
#5 NOW GET CREATIVE ... All the same basics apply throughout
all these lightpaintings. For this image I used two of the
Vector Sport Spotlights each with 2 Million Candles. I exposed
for the pre dawn sky which left the subjects (North Window
and Turret Arch) in Silhouette. I aimed both lights at Turret
Arch. I did not aim my lights at the North Window Arch but
directly through the window itself. The spill from the two
spotlights was enough to reveal the famous North Window Arch
from silhouette against the sky. The combination of the two
Vector Sport Spotlights was just enough to reveal the Turret
Arch over a 1/4 mile away. Now That's Power! Nikon D2X, ISO100,
1 Minute Shutter Speed, f5.6, WB 6000K, Nikon 17-55mm Lens,
Gitzo Tripod, Slik Super Ball Head, Kirk L Bracket, Nikon
MC-20 Electronic Shutter Release, Lexar 4G Flash Card. This
is the only image that worked that morning. It took longer
than expected to climb into a location to shoot through the
North Window Arch (remember, it was before sunrise and very
dark, plus there was some ice and snow on the cliffs). I had
pre set my exposure for the sky while I was walking from the
truck to the location by "taking a shot and taking a
look" while on the move along the trail. As soon as my
feet landed on the final cliff I instantly extended the tripod
legs, focused / turned auto focus off, pulled out my two spot
lights and pressed the MC-20 button and blasted the Turret
Arch through the North Window Arch. By the time I was prepared
for my second shot the sky had already gained too much light.
It had lost the deep blue look and the streaky clouds behind
Turret Arch had vanished.