PHOTO NEWS magazine publishes article on:
Painting with LIGHT
with Richard EmmanuelThere is a famous series of photographs
featuring long exposure
shots of Picasso drawing bulls with
light. These were shot in 1939 by an
Albanian photographer, Gjon Mili.
Needless to say, Light Painting, also
known as Light Graffiti, is certainly
not a new concept but it is a fun and
easy one that many photographers
have not yet intentionally explored.
Monet used paint and brushstrokes to
capture the movement of light and showcase
the effects of the passage of time.
Richard Emmanuel can show you how to
use light and movement as a brush to
manipulate images over time.
While a camera’s shutter is open, any
light that hits the lens puts paint onto the
canvas. The concept is simple; however, the
results can be quite extraordinary.
Technological advances have opened
many gateways in the photo nation. Digital
photography has made light painting more
accessible since you can see your results
right away. This is important so that you
can correct and redo shots immediately to
achieve the desired photograph.
Painting with light has something to
offer photographers of all levels. In fact,
Emmanuel had already been shooting for
over 10 years, when he first stumbled upon
light painting. He was taking photos at a
family function when he noticed that his
cousin, Ester, had sparklers in her hand
which created a unique effect in the photograph.
This inspired him to convince
her to participate in a little experiment.
He asked her to write her name, backwards,
in the air in front of her with
the sparkler. It worked! There in the
photograph, in front of Ester was her
name burned into the image. Well, at
least part of her name -- the sparklers
were short and would burn out too
quickly. This happy accident was just
the beginning of various creative ventures
with light painting.
Credit:
Carol S. Kim
