14 14 March 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Eric ParŽ
Eric is a Canadian photographer whose work
mostly involves light painting and multi-camera
installations. Eric travels the world, sometimes
with hundreds of cameras and sometimes with a
single light-painting tube. See Instagram:
@ericparephoto and kimhenry.dance; YouTube:
ericpare; Website: ericpare.com.Technique LIGHT PAINTING
The light brigade
Bright ideas come thick and fast for photographers with a passion for
light painting. Tracy Calder asks six of the best to share their secrets
L
ight painting – simply
put, moving a light source
during a long exposure- is often considered
something of a dark art. But it
doesn’t have to be that way. Some
of the most celebrated artists in the
genre began with little more than a
DSLR, a torch and a general sense
of playfulness.
As light painters perfect their art,
they often choose to specialise:
some like to illuminate a subject or
a carefully chosen space, others
prefer to ‘write’ with a light source,
forming bold, colourful letters or
shapes. A few of these set-ups
require multiple cameras and
teams of assistants, but most start
with a simple light source – usually
in the form of a torch, acrylic rod,
strings or strips of LEDs, plastic
tubes, fibre optic brushes or steel
wool – a DSLR, a remote shutter
release, a tripod, and a willingness
to experiment. (Please note: there
are dangers involved in using
steel wool, so the utmost care
must be taken if you decide to use
this material.)
Many of the light-painting artists
featured here have posted a lot of
advice about their techniques and
approaches; so check out the social
media details at the end of each of
their respective biographies.LIGHT painting allows you to break out of more
traditional approaches to photography – suddenly
you are with the subject, instead of watching from
behind the camera. There is something healthy and
creative about the whole process, and that is what
keeps me at it, pushing myself over and over again.
Also, because each picture is lit by hand, every
photograph is totally unique, which really appeals
to me as an image maker.