For this brief we were asked to research and annotate 5 images related to painting with light and consider the techniques and equipment necessary to complete these shoots.
Painting with light is a term used to describe the technique of moving a light source along a subject while taking a long exposure. The light may either 'illuminate' a subject or space, or if you shine the light directly at the camera you are able to 'draw' with the light.
Eric Staller is a photographer most known for his work with light painting. He was born in New York in 1947 and studied architecture at the university of Michigan and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1971. From 1976 to 1980 Staller walked the streets of new york at night creating light painting photographs. The first image he shot was a 1 minute long exposure on Walker street using a sparkler. He felt exhilarated and drunk with the possibilities. Staller chooses to shoot the city at night as to him it is enchanting. The plazas, bridges, parks and monuments which were empty and eerily quiet were dramatic stages waiting to be transformed.
These photographers was originally made up of 2 men, JanLeonardo Woellert and Joerg Miedza. Their work was choreographed and rehearsed prior to the shoots. It wasn’t until 2007 that Leonardo discovered light painting when he was trapped in an industrial complex overnight. He used his camera and LED lights to create a light painting image. Then Joerg came onboard and LAPP-PRO was born. They are sponsored by Canon, Ziess and LED sensor and recently worked with Nike to create an ad for the world cup. Originally, they shot using a 12.8 megapixel EOS 5D DSLR but now use a 21.2 megapixel EOS 5D Mark II.
1. Shooting at a lower ISO means you will have less noise in your image. Open your aperture to its widest setting and use a tripod if possible or use a flash.
2. Shoot images in RAW as JPEG already have compression applied to them. In post production you will have more flexibility removing noise and increasing exposure.
3. Find out if your camera has a function called High ISO Noise Reduction or Long Exposure Noise Reduction which means that the camera will analyse the image and look for any pixels that are incorrectly rendered.
4. Be careful when doing long exposures as if the exposure is too long the sensor of the camera will heat up and the pixels will render incorrect colours and exposure.
5. If you are shooting with no assistants, to be able to light each section of your subject evenly, it is recommended to shoot 3 images at a 10 second exposure. This will allow you to illuminate each section of your subject equally which you then layer in photoshop. This will then create an image with each section of the subject illuminated and also insures that you use a shorter exposure time. (See point 4)
I am thinking of shooting the ruins at Rouken Glen Park.
I am going to do a recce shoot on the 25th of March and again during the easter break in April.
I will set up at the park at 5pm and begin shooting around half past 6.
Assistant - to help shine the flashlight onto the structure.
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