The fun starts after the sun has just set...
Today I'd like to show you guys the way I go about spicing up a photograph using light painting. Here's an example of a shot I took by the coast that uses this technique.
The tools I use are a very powerful flashlight, such as this: |
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And color filters, the most common one I use is an orange one: |
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First I compose the picture, if needed I use the flashlight to illuminate my subject to help with focusing. Then everything is setup on a tripod and the exposure is set to BULB mode.
I then start the exposure on the camera, while I use the flashlight in conjunction with the color filter held in front of the light to add orange light to where I point the flashlight. The important thing here is where I choose to shine the light and from which direction I point the light from.
I usually avoid shining the light directly at the subject from the camera's point of view, since that creates a front-lit scene devoid of textures, similar to what you would see with a photo shot with a popup flash.
When I think I've covered the areas I want with the desired light, I stop the exposure. Usually the process involves multiple tries to get the image I'm satisfied with.
At the end this is what I get:
