Light Painting People....

[Doug Barber]

Some here seemed to be interested in the "Light Painting" I've been doing of late.
Here is a sample of a portrait that I did today.
If anyone has any questions just fire away...

 

[Flew]

Now that is a cool pic. 8)

This hobby is so cool that I can't stand it....

Frank

 

[PhotoDawg]

Good picture....that must have taken a lot of time. Thanks for sharing this!!

 

[DavidM]

Doug, I absolutely love the idea and your execution of these photos. They make great images, but the process behind them makes them even more special.

Gotta ask... what kind of flashlight do you use? Are you having to play with WB much to compensate for light temperature? How on earth do you manage to even out the light so well this way? Must take lots of practice. I can just imagine lots of different variants on this, with different kinds of beams, gels over the lights, etc.

Very intriguing.

 

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Hey Doug,

First off, fantastic image, very striking and unique!

This is something I've been trying out lately (static images) and wanting to get into more.

My questions to you is how many tries did it take before you were satisified with the final image? Did you start with the face first since that has to stay the most still during the long exposure? Also the skin tones look rather pinkish, was this on purpose, is that an accurate representation or is it due to the set WB?

Love how you lit the floor. Did you start top to bottom or was it random?

Outstanding stuff!

_/oe

 

[F15Todd]

Awesome job

 

[Doug Barber]

Gotta ask... what kind of flashlight do you use? Are you having to play with WB much to compensate for light temperature? How on earth do you manage to even out the light so well this way? Must take lots of practice. I can just imagine lots of different variants on this, with different kinds of beams, gels over the lights, etc.

The light source could be from almost any flashlight. That being said, I use a "Mag-lite" as I like the light color that comes from it. I have a couple different sizes that are used for different things. The other good thing with a Mag-lite is you can adjust the light beam while one is working. This allows you to change the light intensity during the painting process.
It does take a little practice to get it down and this in itself can be a little frustrating. But with practice you can get quit close without shooting all day long.
With the lights that I use I set my WB at (3000) and then fine toon it in capture during post.
Here is a link to a little more in-depth articulation of the shooting scene…
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=12581799
Hope this helps...

 

[Doug Barber]

Hey Doug,
My questions to you is how many tries did it take before you were satisified with the final image? Did you start with the face first since that has to stay the most still during the long exposure? Also the skin tones look rather pinkish, was this on purpose, is that an accurate representation or is it due to the set WB?

Love how you lit the floor. Did you start top to bottom or was it random?

Outstanding stuff!

_/oe

Hi Joe:
When I first started doing this type of image it took a long time to get one that was usable. Because I've been doing quit a lot of these... I'm now down to getting a keeper quit quickly. In this case I took a total of (3) images for this guy and all three were useable he just did not like his facial expression on the first two.
I'm not sure about the pink tone.... On my monitor it looks (real) so I stopped playing with it at that point. Mind you I could be out to lunch...
The painting (path) is planned out in advance so one makes sure you don't forget an area. I run the light path over the client in advance of turning out the lights so he knows when a light beam will hit his face and prepare himself for that coming. It also allows he to get it fixed in my head before I begin.
Hope this helps...

 

[Doug Barber]

Thanks Everyone for your kind words....

 

[PGB]

I am such a novice I wouldn't know where to begin to ask questions. Like Frank said this is a great hobby. I wish I had half the talent you and others have here.

I hope to learn all of this stuff before too long.

Thanks,

 

[greyflash]

You can almost see this guy standing out in the moonlight looking for his meal to come by. Well done Doug.

 

[Doug Barber]

I am such a novice I wouldn't know where to begin to ask questions. Like Frank said this is a great hobby. I wish I had half the talent you and others have here.

I hope to learn all of this stuff before too long.

Thanks,

Patrick;
Taking an image like this is not rocket science. So here is what I want to you do....
1. Tonight after dark setup in a room that you can create a dark environment.
2. Find something small to shoot a small statue or birdhouse or something.
3. Set your subject on a table.
4. Find that old flashlight
5. Put your camera on a tripod and make the following setting:
- Noise Reduction "ON"
- Manual mode
- Manual focus
- Shutter speed 30-sec.
- f-11
- Self-timer turned on
- WB - 3000k
6. Before you turn out the lights focus your camera manually so you know you have focus.
7. Press the shutter on your camera and let the self-timer trigger it. While waiting for the timer to trigger turn your flashlight on and muffle it in your hand so light is not coming out.
8. After shutter opens, begin to paint light onto your subject. You have (30-seconds) so don't rush and keep your light moving so you don't burn light into spots. Just use brush strokes in different parts of the image till you have it painted in the areas you want.
9. Review image in LCD and determine if it looks good or not. If you missed some places, simply do it again.
10 This is the (most Important part)... Post your results right here and we can look at it and see how you made out and if anyone can make any subjection's as to how to improve it.

I will be sitting here all day tomorrow waiting to see the images you have created…. Don’t make me sit here for nothing.
You have your assignment so get to it!

 

[Doug Barber]

Thanks Gordon....
I wished I could have shot this outdoors but i'm still into winter around here and it would have been to cold. Also the snow is hard to paint with.
I did one last summer with a guy sitting next to his gang glider. Behind him I had the cliff he would jump off and the sun setting across the valley. It was a cool image and one that took a bit od doing to set-up.
If you read my instructions to Patrick above you will note that he is not the only one who could try this....
So get to it...

 

[Joe_Lorenzini]

Sounds like we have a candidate for Challenge #5...

 

[Doug Barber]

well Joe....
I'm not sure about Challenge #5. But if we have a group who was to play a little, I'm sure willing to help out if I can.
So go find your flashlight and check the batteries....