Sometimes using flash to light a subject at night doesn’t give the effect you are looking for. Using multiple flashes from different angles can create some cool lighting but often textures and feeling are lost. Light painting is an alternative that can produce some lovely subtle results, or even very directed effects, depending on how you apply it.
Light Painting A Shipwreck
OBJECTIVE:
My objective was to capture this shipwreck using the light painting technique in order to allow me to tailor the lights impact with more delicacy than a flash would allow.
COMPOSITION:
The wreck is right on the shoreline next to a cliff. At high tide it is surrounded by water but at low tide it is high and dry. I chose low tide in order to be able to get down close to the wreck. I had hoped for a strong sunset as well but didn’t get that. The glow of the city of Brisbane and what glow the sunset did give me was enough to make me decide to find an angle that showed part of the cliff and the those city/sunset elements in the background as well.
SETUP & SETTINGS:
30 secs – f13 – ISO 200. 17mm focal length. No filters on the lens. Tripod. No flash. Two, very strong LED light setups. For those into LED, these are 3x 3watt Crees giving out a combined lumen of around 600 I think from memory? So, while the shutter was open, I simply ‘painted’ with my lights.
POST PROCESSING:
Slight sharpening, colour saturation, curves/levels to increase contrast.
END RESULT:
The end result is the textures of the ship have not been flattened by a harsh flash, and shadows remain in areas that are important. I was also able to create a luminescent area of light around the ship on the sand. The long exposure caught the city and sunset well also but an extra bonus I didn’t expect, was the inclusion of several stars as well.
So you actually walk around and place the lights around while the shutter is open? That’s interesting, How do you decide where to light it or do you do it beforehand? And how do you keep yourself out of the photo?
Sorry if these seem like daft questions, but I find it interesting and I really like the treatment and effect.
No I don’t ‘place’ lights … I hold them in my hands and ‘paint’ light onto my subject. By ‘painting’ more light on one section and less on a another it helps to add texture and depth.
Staying out of the photo is easy done if you are close to the subject you are painting but if you need to get in front of the camera then care must be taken to not allow the camera lens to ’see’ the torch lens. Wearing dark clothing is helpful also.