The light brigade
Light painting – simply put, moving a light source during a long exposure – is often considered something of a dark art. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Some of the most celebrated artists in the genre began with little more than a DSLR, a torch and a general sense of playfulness.
As light painters perfect their art, they often choose to specialise: some like to illuminate a subject or a carefully chosen space, others prefer to ‘write’ with a light source, forming bold, colourful letters or shapes. A few of these set-ups require multiple cameras and teams of assistants, but most start with a simple light source – usually in the form of a torch, acrylic rod, strings or strips of LEDs, plastic tubes, fibre optic brushes or steel wool – a DSLR, a remote shutter release, a tripod, and a willingness to experiment. (Please note: there are dangers involved in using steel wool, so the utmost care must be taken if you decide to use this material.)
Many of the light-painting artists featured here have posted a lot of advice about their techniques and approaches; so check out the social media details at the end of each of their respective biographies.
Eric Paré
Eric is a Canadian photographer whose work mostly involves light painting and multi-camera installations. Eric travels the world, sometimes with hundreds of cameras and sometimes with a single light-painting tube.and ; YouTube: ; Website: .
