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A very short history
Painting with light is older than you might think. Wikipedia dates the first known example to 1889, when Étienne Jules Marey and Georges Demeny traced human movement with light in a picture called Pathological Walk From in Front. In 1949 the photographer Gjon Mili showed Pablo Picasso photographs of ice skaters with lights on their skates, and Picasso promptly started drawing in the air with a small torch. Those pictures became known as Picasso’s “light drawings”.
How does light painting work?
A normal photo captures a fraction of a second. Here, the camera keeps recording for several seconds or longer, and anything bright that moves during that time is drawn as a streak.
On a traditional camera this is a long exposure. Canon Europe suggests starting with a shutter speed of 10 to 30 seconds, a low ISO of about 100 to 200 and a narrow aperture of around f/11, with the camera on a tripod.
Some phone apps, including ours, work differently. Instead of one long exposure, they take a series of frames and combine them, keeping the brightest value seen at each point in the picture. Photo editors call this a “lighten” blend: Adobe’s Photoshop help describes Lighten as choosing whichever of two colours is lighter for each channel. Do that frame after frame and every moving light leaves its mark, while the dark background stays dark.
What you need
- A dark place. Canon Europe notes that a short exposure against a dark background keeps the background dark and puts all the attention on your light shapes.
- Something steady for the phone. A tripod or phone clamp is ideal; a wall or a pile of books will do. Any movement of the camera smears the whole picture.
- A light. A torch, a phone torch, LED fairy lights, glow sticks, bike lights or sparklers. Canon Europe suggests taping coloured plastic cups or tissue paper over a torch to make a colourful light wand, and notes that softer lights often work better than very bright ones, which can cause flare.
- A helper, if you can. It is easier when one person draws and one starts and stops the capture.
Your first five shots
- Write your name. Stand facing the camera and write in the air with a torch. Your writing will appear mirrored to the camera, so try a simple shape first if that bothers you.
- Draw a heart or a star. Simple, closed shapes are easier to judge than words.
- Spin a light. Swing a torch or glow stick in a circle at arm’s length for a ring or an orb effect.
- Car trails. Point the camera at a road at night (from a safe spot) and let the head and tail lights draw red and white lines.
- Light up an object. Canon Europe suggests shining a torch on a subject for a few seconds during the exposure, moving around it to light different parts.
Tips for cleaner trails
- Keep the camera still. This matters more than anything else.
- Move smoothly. Jerky movements give lumpy lines.
- Lower your screen brightness. Canon Europe points out that pictures look brighter on a screen in the dark than they really are.
Is it safe to use sparklers?
Sparklers make the classic trail picture, but they are hot. RoSPA says a sparkler can reach temperatures approximately 20 times hotter than boiling water. Its advice includes:
- Do not give sparklers to children under five, and supervise all children.
- Wear gloves, hold sparklers at arm’s length and light one at a time.
- Never run with a sparkler, and keep it away from faces, clothes and other people.
- Never hold a baby or young child while using one.
- Put used sparklers straight into a bucket of cold water.
Questions people ask
What camera settings should I start with?
On a camera, Canon Europe suggests Manual mode, ISO 100 to 200, around f/11 and 10 to 30 seconds, with manual focus set on the spot where you will be drawing.
Why is my background too bright?
A longer exposure picks up more of the scene. Canon Europe notes that around 10 seconds against a dark background keeps it dark.
Why do my lines look blurry?
Usually the camera moved. Use a tripod or a solid rest, and avoid touching it during the exposure, as Canon Europe advises.
Where the Light Painting app helps, and where it does not
Light Painting is our Android app for this. It is a live long exposure camera: it reads the camera up to 30 times a second, keeps the brightest light in each frame and fixes exposure, focus and colour while you paint, so you watch smooth trails build on screen and stop when you like it. It has a self timer, starts and stops with a volume button, and can flip the picture so words you write read the right way round. Light painting up to 20 seconds in Full HD with the Natural and Warm looks is free, with a small mark in the corner. A one-time Pro unlock adds 4K pictures, time-lapse video, car and star trails, rainbow trails, more looks and pictures without the mark.
What it is good for: quick, fun trails with sparklers, torches, glow sticks and car lights, and seeing the result as it forms instead of guessing.
What it will not do as well as a proper camera: because it keeps the brightest light rather than gathering light over time, a dim scene will not brighten up the way it would in a real long exposure, so it suits bright lights on a dark background best. Phone sensors are small, so star trails show the brighter stars only, and the phone needs to stay still. For big night landscapes or professional work, a camera with a true Bulb mode on a tripod is the better tool.
Questions or bugs: Email us.
Sources
- A beginner’s guide to light painting photographyCanon Europe canon-europe.com
- Light paintingWikipedia en.wikipedia.org
- Blending mode descriptionsAdobe helpx.adobe.com
- Firework safety tipsRoSPA rospa.com