the frame. This is very similar to recording light
trails, but because you have control of the light,
you can make the light do what you want it to do.
If you don’t have any sparklers handy, you can
use this same concept to make very interesting
patterns with a flashlight and some string. They
might not have the same human element as the
sparklers, but the symmetry and beauty created by
the patterns of light make them enjoyable to view
and to create.When the light is the subject
Using the light to illuminate the subject is one
way to paint with light, but there is another way
that you can create interesting images with long
shutter speeds and a light source: Have the sensor
record the light source itself and the patterns that
are created. I captured the pattern in Figure 9-4
by letting the camera record the light created by
a couple of sparklers as they were moved through
ABOUT THIS PHOTO During a long-exposure photograph at the water’s edge, I wanted to add some light to the rocks, so I painted in the
details using a small but powerful LED flashlight. Taken at 47 seconds, f/14, and ISO 320.
9-3