Last night I held a lightpainting workshop for a camera club in Frodsham, Cheshire in England. I've done lightpainting workshops before but not for a few years. The reason I don't tend to do workshops anymore is I find them a little frustrating. Let me explain.
The delegates attending a lightpainting workshop usually haven't tried lightpainting before. So that means I have to start from scratch with the basics. That includes stuff like focussing in the dark and camera settings. It always amazes me, and it probably shouldn't, that someone with an expensive Sony A9 and even more expensive lenses should have a grasp of the basics of photography. I've done LP workshops where I've spent most of an evening reminding the attendees how to focus or operate their camera!!
Last night was slightly different. The camera club members had all the usual more expensive than mine cameras and lenses but most of them knew how to use their cameras. Thank goodness!!
I started off by showing the crowd (there was approx. 20 people) all of the tools I had including light blades, fibre optic brushes, EL-wire and home made LED gadgets. I don't normally turn out at night with that much gear but I knew I had to bring enough so everyone could have a go at waving lights in the dark.
It's not easy shepherding a bunch of strangers but eventually I got them all huddled in little groups in different corners of the cave system. I wandered between each group and helped as best I could.
I didn't shoot many of my own lightpainting images due to being so busy for 4 hours or more but this is what I got. I'd like to see some of the results on others' cameras where I've done the lightpainting but I have to settle for what I got for now:
Fractalise
It was a night of firsts for the delegates. They had never seen anyone use a fractal filter before. I always find it surprising that not everyone knows this stuff.
They called it a Masterclass
I was so busy running around banging my head in the dark helping others, waving net curtains and light blades, I only bagged a couple of quick demo shots at the end. I think I may have left them confused demonstrating how to do this. The people watching had never seen anyone pan a camera like this:
The Caves
The location we held the workshop in was epic. I was asked not to reveal the location because it was technically on private land but I got the nod it would be OK to return here in the dark.
This is the entrance to the cave:
I'm never going to win awards for snapping this with my phone. This is from the entrance to the cave looking in:
The cave system was so big I couldn't fit in the frame so shot a pano instead:
After last night, I think I may start doing workshops again. Maybe to photographers with some more than basic knowledge of their cameras. Trying to explain lightpainting to someone who doesn't have much of an idea how to use their camera isn't nearly as much fun as one would imagine.
And finally this morning I received an email of thanks. I'm not normally one to blow my own trumpet but it's nice to know the 170 mile drive was worth it!
About me:
I usually specialise in shooting lightpainting images but occasionally dabble in urbex and artistic model photography. I'm always on the lookout for someone to collaborate with; please don't hesitate to get in touch if you'd like to create art.
Social Media
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/fastchris/
Lightpainting is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph, either to illuminate a subject or to shine a point of light directly at the camera, or by moving the camera itself during exposure. Nothing is added or removed in post processing.
If you would like to see more lightpainting please give the Lightpainters United Community a follow and you will be introduced into the illuminating world of light painting!
If you want to see more examples of lightpainting, feel free to check out these guys:
Mafu Fuma | Oddballgraphics | FadetoBlack | DAWN | Mart Barras | Stefan Stepke | Nikolay Trebukhin | Lee Todd | Stabeu Light | Maxime Pateau | Stephen Sampson | lightandlense | Neil Rushby | L.A.C.E.
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