Lights and shakes: the surreal light painted reality
By Suman Nath
15 Oct 2009
Recently JPG initiates "LIGHT PAINTING" where light, camera and action are key words! I am using darkness and light for quite sometime. My images are different from what JPG suggests, as I am using camera shakes rather than movement of lights and also few additional features like car wind screen, speed and water.
THE BASIC TRICK:
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Long shutter, low ISO, darkness and light points. Now start moving your arms with the camera. Experiment with the shutter speed and your movements.
ADDITIONAL:
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Start Experimenting with a variety of light sources and medium. In the following section techniques are described with illustrations.
Handy:
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1. Need darkness, and pointed light sources. Street lights, Urban landscape from distance, glow signboards beside a highway will do.
2. Have a long shutter (6 to 10 seconds), and low ISO.
3. Press shutter and move hands in different directions. Circle, Wavy etc.
4. The area of movement, shutter speed, and ISO will determine the shapes and shakes.
Using speed as guiding force:
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Speed, darkness and camera factors can help you improvising your photos to a great extent
1. Get yourself into a vehicle drive fast through streets and start clicking.
2. The photo shapes depend on shutter speed and speed of your vehicle. I use ISO 80 and long shutter usually 5 seconds. See "lost focus" and "Reflection of passion." Note that in the Reflection of passion the reflection of the image at the bottom is evidenced. It is possible because of the speed. The lost focus is actually white painted and lighten building.
Speed and water:
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When it rains you can experiment with shapes of water, falling on your wind screen
1. Do it in the night, with street lights and car lights, when its raining.
2. Usually I use ISO 50 - 80 and 5 to 10 seconds shutter speed depending on the light. See "Liquified"
Lighten motioned objects:
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When you find bright moving objects use it.
1. Use long shutter usually 5 seconds or more to shoot moving lights. The red sparks can do wonder. see "fire play - heat and wind".
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Most of the experiments are trial and errors... I know many of the JPG members are already doing this... please share your story too.
1 response
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Arnab Nag gave props (15 Oct 2009):
Great detail and work
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