Light Painting in the Backyard

Although it's been the third least snowiest December on record in central Indiana, I think I could count the number of clear nights on one hand. When the skies aren't cooperating, I get a little stir crazy - so I had to battle my friend Luke in the backyard using my epic lightning powers!

Light painting using SlowShutter Cam app for iPhone, merged and adjusted in Photoshop

FOCUS: To focus the image, have the subject stand in the spot where they will be during the photo and shine the light on themselves - try lighting up the face and clothes, just enough to give the photographer a target. Lock the focus on the subject when they are bright enough to autofocus.

LIGHT THE SUBJECT: Now start the photo with a 3 second delay and run over to the subject. First establish them in the image by shining the light away from the camera toward the subject - simulating a flash essentially. Paint their body with light for a few seconds.

DRAW WITH LIGHT: Now with the flashlight aiming toward the camera, paint the lines you want to show up. We used a simple white LED keychain for these.

I realized when I upgraded my iPhone, I also made my Glif mount for the iPhone 5 less useful - seen here with my new iPhone 6 (in a case) rubber banded to it to hold it in place... Apparently they make a new Glif iPhone tripod adapter mount that is more universal and accommodates the curved edges of the new iPhone 6.

Ok so here is what the photos look like straight out of the iPhone using Slow Shutter Cam app as the camera...

Image straight from iPhone with brightness adjustment in Snapseed app

Image straight from iPhone, taken with Slow Shutter Cam app in light trail mode

I also tried light painting with my Canon T5i. I made the image below by stacking several frames in Photoshop and using blend mode Lighten to only incorporate the lightest parts from each image. I painted the birch trees and step stones with a white LED.

I think it looks a little like lightning! I really like the blue glowing energy in this image!

Stack of 5 images, each at f/7.1, 18mm, ISO 400, 16 sec

Light Painting is Hard

Light painting is harder than it looks. I went out last weekend with my friend Drew to do some light painting with my Canon Rebel XT and shutter remote. I left my shutter lock on with the idea that I would just stack some of the photos later to create more elaborate light trail and light painting scenes (more than I could do in 20 seconds during a single exposure).

I learned a lot along the way, here are the most important lessons that I came away with:

1. Light painting is very different from star trail photography. With star trails, you want to get to a very very dark location to get as many stars as possible. With light painting, you don't want to be in pitch black - because then you might as well be standing in a bathroom with the door closed. With light painting there is a greater need for context and some kind of subject matter. The light trails should enhance the scene - but they are not the entire scene in themselves.

Lighting the ground saved this shot because without it the lights appear to be floating in a boring black void.

2. As cool and 3D as the light trail might look at times, to the camera the light is completely 2D. This means that it's very difficult to show depth - such as running down a wooded path at night. The camera doesn't know you're going down a path into the distance, it just sees the light with very little vertical and lateral movement. Essentially, the light trail looks 2D and showing depth takes extra effort (and in my case luck).

Rainbow light tunnel (with legs)

3. Less is more. Unless you are going to fill the entire frame with abstract colored lights, the best shots I came away with included accents and effects that make the photo more interesting. But again, don't think about it as painting the subject matter, but enhancing the subject matter with interesting light paintings.

Light bridge with faces

4. Drawing is hard, drawing with invisible paint in a 3D environment is even harder. I came away with a stick figure drawing that was actually rather successful (as far as stick figures go) because it is very difficult to connect lines, write words, etc. Your light will leave a path in the camera, but not in the air - so connecting lines, drawing circles, and making lines overlap is very tricky.

Stick figure light painting

Interesting iPhone Light Trails with a Glitter Wand

I recently went out on an excursion to take some light trail photos with my friend Drew (post coming soon). We spent several hours in the woods, and I learned a lot about DSLR light trails. I wanted to try something new with my iPhone, so I set it up on my balcony at sunset. I used Slow Shutter Cam () and busted out the light up glitter wand I bought to make interesting rainbow light trails.

Light trail with Slow Shutter Cam app and glitter wand taken with iPhone 5

Against the bright evening sky, the wand is pretty much invisible (sometimes just a little washed out). The light doesn't show up too much, but the glitter provides an interesting effect. The rays of light that you see in the photos are actually not from the wand but from the sun bending through the clear plastic cylinder.

Behind the scenes look at my set up.. It wasn't planned out much, more of a happy accident

Another example, I went a little slower and the white wand is more visible

Contrast isn't quite as good in this one, but nice effect

Let's not get crazy now!

Light painting with Slow Shutter Cam app for iPhone

While we were waiting for it to get dark on Friday night, my brother and sister helped me make some light paintings on my iPhone using nothing but Slow Shutter Cam (). Dang, I feel like I should be on Slow Shutter Cam payroll by now since I've mentioned it in no less than 6 different blog posts!

Glowstick silhouette with laser pointer heart

Glowstick tracing around hands and fingers

Campfire spark trails with Slow Shutter Cam app for iPhone

Took these photos of a campfire with the Slow Shutter Cam app for iPhone () using Light Trail mode and light sensitivity set to 1. 

Car light trails using Slow Shutter Cam app

Overcast tonight so I played with my slow shutter out the window using the light trail setting and my headphone (+) shutter remote.