In-Class Exercise No. 6: Light Painting
In the sixth class of my ten-week course at the Delaware Art Museum, we darken the room and use flashlights to paint light onto our subjects. Below are thumbnails of photos of students in class on Leap Day 2016.
Light painting is a terrific way to light a non-moving subject. In the hands of photographers like Harold Ross, it becomes an art form. Harold can take 20 or more images at a session, lighting one small part of the scene with each shot, then bringing all the images into Photoshop and layering them together to get the final image.
In class, we do it all in a single go. We start with cameras on tripods in Manual (M) Mode, ISO at 100, shutter speed at 20 seconds, and aperture at f/16. Then, with the shutter delay set to 10 seconds, we release the shutter and begin painting the subject with our flashlights. Then we take more photos — adjusting our exposures, re-arranging the objects, and refining our painting techniques.
See all of Danny’s “Make Better Photos” posts.
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