Light Painting - Example

I cannot for the life of me think of why I haven't done light painting before. I believe the first time I actually tried it was when I was in Joshua Tree National Park doing some star trails. The foreground needed some light so I used a flash light to expose them. Fast forward to 2012 and I brought it back to the table for some of my wedding clients.




Here's what I used to get this shot: 
- Nikon D800 Digital SLR Camera
- Nikon 35mm f/2.0 Lens
- Nikon SB-900 Speedlight
- Tripod (any will do really)
- iPhone & Flashlight Type App.
- A dark place.
- A subject(s) that will stand still.

The camera settings are open to interpretation based on where you are. I played with my ISO between 200-400. My aperture was around f/8 and my shutter speed was very slow, around 10-15 seconds until I had something worth while.

The main concept for properly exposing the shot is: 

1. You need stop down the aperture and low ISO so that the light you paint with just tickles the subject. If you are wide open then one hit of the flash will flood your shot.
2. You use your speedlight in manual mode off camera and do a "test fire" so the flash hits your subject. Do this to taste.One hit may be all you need while other times you may need. Other times, you can pop a couple behind your subject. f-stops around f/8 and f/16 start to show this awesome starburst effect with light that can be really cool.
3.  The shutter speed needs to be slow so that you can run around and paint with a continuous light source. In my case, I had my iPhone and some flashlight app that changed my screen color. What you see ghosted in the background is just the light emitting from my iPhone as I ran around my bride and groom. The exposure was so long that I didn't get picked up however. Be creative, you can use whatever continuous light source you want. Even rope lights and kid toys.
4. Always be moving when running through the frame. If you are slow or your flash hits you then you will show up in the shot. Otherwise, with such a long shutter speed you shouldn't even show up.
5. You need to have your camera on a tripod. I set my camera to a 5 second timer so I can get prepared to run around like a crazed lunatic.
6. Your subject HAS to be standing still. If they move, that slow shutter speed will surely pick it up and then you have to re-do the shot. Try to shoot while it's warm out because even cold shivers can get picked up.
7. TRY AND PRACTICE BEFORE YOU TAKE IT TO A SHOOT. No client feels comfortable when you are fiddling with gear and not able to make the shot after you hyped it up.

That should be all. Thanks for your support.
Comment if you have any questions.
~ Michael

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