Light Painting Photography

• INSPIRATION: Being fascinated by kids world of imagination, we wondered how we can recreate all the fairy tale bedtime stories we used to tell each other when we were two little kids. We decided the best way to make it more impressive was to have it captured in our own childhood bedroom using the magical combination of lights and shadows. And Inspired by Rembrandt, master of the theatrical employment of light and shadow, we tried to present our childhood dreamy, sometimes scary world in a way he dramatized the scenes by the division between a flood of light and a brooding duskiness. • UNIQUE PROPERTIES / PROJECT DESCRIPTION: We wanted to share the emotional journey we have gone through over the years as we were growing up in our old bedroom, the bedroom that has witnessed all our childhood fears, hopes and dreams. By painting with lights, we decided to bring to life all imaginary stories we once lived in as kids in the very same bedroom, with an aim to show that no dream is too dreamy to be real, and no fear is too scary to get along with.

• OPERATION / FLOW / INTERACTION:

To take this type of photo, you need a camera that can perform long exposure technique, a penlight or small flashlight and a dark room. While the camera's shutter is open, you draw what you have in mind, in the air using the flashlight. You won't be able to see what you are drawing, but the camera would capture everything.

• PROJECT DURATION AND LOCATION:

Photos were taken over two nights in July 2016, Arak, Iran and this single shot ( Photo number 09 ) was taken at my grandmother’s home in the north of Iran in summer 2019.

• PRODUCTION / REALIZATION TECHNOLOGY:

All light lines seen in the photos were drawn in just 30 seconds using the long exposure technique (in some cases it was 15 seconds long). We used a decorative light-up as the point of light, and the dark room as our canvas. No after-effects or filters were applied after the photos were captured.

• SPECIFICATIONS / TECHNICAL PROPERTIES:

Camera model: Cannon EOS 6D ISO speed : ISO-4000 Exposure time : 15 to 30 sec

• RESEARCH ABSTRACT :

One of the main research objectives in this project was to find the perfect flashlight that could best create the perfect light color with the perfect level of brightness. Some flashlights made too bright light lines that lightened up the whole room and ruined the photo. Some made cold bluish light lines that couldn't create the right atmosphere for emotions we wanted to represent. We ended up using a small angel-shaped LED candle that made warm thin light lines for us and acted just like a painting brush.

• CHALLENGE :

Drawing shapes and characters without seeing what you are drawing exactly and where you are drawing them in the air, is the hardest part. And to name a few other challenges: The painter should be moving all the time so the camera won't capture his/her figure in the photograph, meanwhile the model has to stand still without any movements the whole time so the photo won't get blurry.

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