Camera painting
---- by Shounak roy
We have heard about the concept of light painting, where the camera is used in long exposure mode, some keeps the camera in BULB mode which means that the shutter is kept open unless we release it. I have read some documents in light painting and so far that I understand, the process goes like this:
1. You set your camera in long exposure.
2. You use your light source, a torch, or a lamp and paint it in air
3. Voila you get a light painting!!
We have some examples as shown below :
.
But I on the other hand will show you some picture taken by me of some random patterns which has been taken in a different approach. The following are some of the pictures :
The following are the steps :
1. The light source is kept fixed. In the above figures the one with the ‘V’ or ‘laterally inverted Z’ and ‘S’ were basically five lights in the distance. The last picture was just a pair of street light.
2. Now you set the camera in long exposure mode, I mostly kept it in Bulb mode and move your camera just like a brush. Simple.
3. As a result you get this crazy patterns. Am not much of a painter, but if you are you can even draw a face with the light as the source, the sky the canvas and the camera as the brush.
So there you are , that is all about camera painting . I would like to mention a important precaution , if you are using your DSLRs then avoid switching to live view because, in live view the censor remains exposed, so as we are using long exposure, that might be harmful to your camera.
In order to get the best results you will need to set your camera properly. That’s why a DSLR is your best choice for taking light painting photos, as it will allow you to control the three main camera settings (ISO, aperture, and shutter speed) and it will also allow you to shoot in RAW giving you more control in the post processing stage.
-ISO: In light painting photography, just like with long exposure photography, you need to use the lowest ISO value you can set on your camera. Because, photos with long exposure times tend to produce noise more than regular shots. So, consider using an ISO value between 100 and 200 to avoid the noise problem and to make sure you can set a shutter speed slow enough for you to complete your painting.
-Aperture: The smaller the F number the more light will hit your sensor and the less depth of field you will get. So, you need to set your aperture depending on the exposure time you want to reach and how much detail you want in focus. It’s recommended to use small apertures, because it will be hard to focus in a dark environment and the small aperture will give you a depth of field wide enough to include everything you paint in the focus range.
-Exposure time: It goes without saying, that you will need really long exposure times to make sophisticated light paintings. So, the exposure time will be determined by the complexity of the light painting you intend to do as well as by the ISO value and aperture you set on your camera.
-Shooting in RAW: It’s better to shoot in RAW, as it will give you more control in the editing stage. You will be able to make precise and advanced changes to your photo and you will also be able to correct some mistakes you might have done during the shooting stage. By shooting in RAW, you can easily change the exposure, white balance and colors of your photos in a variety of post processing software.
Painting with light:
Once you have found a place where you want to create your light painting photo, you need to release the shutter and begin painting with light. Just, make sure your light source is always directed towards the camera or you won’t have continuous lines and shapes.
Here are some tips to help you in getting the best results:
- Prepare your shot before beginning the actual camera painting. Since it will be hard to estimate the actual shot when ypu start to take the snap, it is advised to plan the camera’s path beforehand and what would you like the shot to look like. Also take some shots without any light painting done to determine the best exposure time, aperture and ISO to be used.
-When focusing, set your camera on manual focus, light the part you want to focus on, and turn the focusing ring until you are satisfied. Avoid automatic focusing, as it will not work very well in a dark environment.
The above tips are useful for both light painting and camera painting.
Hope this helps you take some cool pics and don’t forget to share your experience with us at Facebook group.
No comments:
Post a Comment