Students in Photography 1 have been experimenting with light paintings, a type of long-exposure photography that has been popular at least since Pablo Picasso and Gjon Mili began making them in the late 1940s. Picasso saw the potential for a new expressive drawing technique, and our students have been following in his footsteps this year.
To make a light painting, the photographer must work in almost complete darkness and use a very slow shutter speed, with exposure times of 10 or 20 or even 30 seconds. During that time, the artist draws in the air with a flashlight, and every movement they make gets recorded in the picture. It's a wonderful, hands-on way to explore the possibilities of motion blur and to become physically invested in the picture making process.
As students get started with the course, it also serves as a way to learn how to setup and use a tripod. Without a tripod, a 30-second long photo would be far too blurry - very few people have such steady hands that they could hold still for so long!
Light painting is also a very fun way to make group pictures, since you have to communicate and plan what the image will look like, and you don't exactly know what you'll get! Here are some recent examples of our classes in action.
In the photo above, three people painted in the air with flashlights at the same time. One person drew the Christmas tree, one drew the decorations, and one drew the figure putting the star on top.
After making the photographs, students edit the photos on the computer using Adobe Lightroom, then make digital inkjet prints to add to their portfolios.
If you want to try it out on your phone, you can download the free Long Exposure app. Set the shutter speed to 15 or 20 seconds, work in a completely dark room, prop your phone against something so it doesn't move, and use a flashlight to paint a photograph!
Before you go, take a look at the work of Hannu Huhtamo, a contemporary master of light painting. During class we watched a few of his videos inspire us, and I hope they inspire you, as well.