Rachel Jayne Photography: Painting with light

Showing posts with label Painting with light. Show all posts

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Digital Photogram's

Creating a digital photogram is one of the simplest ways to create an image with striking results. Ordinarily this is a technique mostly used in a darkroom as a way of creating a photograph without the use of a camera, which is also a fantastic skill to learn and experiment with.

Ok, let me explain how you can create a digital photogram at home using a few key things. Firstly you'll need a digital camera, a sheet of glass - I used a glass chopping board! You will also need a torch, a sheet of A4 plain paper and an object of your choice to photograph. The method is to shine the torch up from underneath a glass or a see through surface; if you can acquire a glass table then that would be perfect, if not, you will need to find a way to balance your sheet of glass/clear surface, in order to place your objects steadily on top. I used a small wooden tray holder from Ikea.

Now you have everything you need, let's get to the fun bit! Place your sheet of plain paper on top of the surface you are using, place the objects on top and arrange in to an eye catching composition that feels and looks good, you will need to shine the torch from underneath the paper to see where the light falls. The tricky part is focusing your camera, so you are best off mounting your camera on a tripod and manually focusing while you have a main light on. Once the main light is off you can still use the light from the torch to find your focus point. Using manual mode set your aperture to F22 and the ISO to 100 and your shutter to around 20 sec - the timings may vary depending on how light or dark your images come out. You need a longer exposure to compensate for the low light conditions from using a torch as the only light source. I used a very small torch which didn't give much light so I had to leave my exposure longer to allow more time for the light to reach the sensor. You can easily gauge this on the back of your camera. The tricky bit is shining the torch and moving it around underneath your subject, so a tripod, long exposure and even a cable release are very handy for capturing digital photogram's, and worth every bit off effort.

Friday, 17 October 2014

Painting with light at home

For the following images I have used the technique 'Painting with light' One of which I really enjoyed experimenting with. I used a dark space (small hallway with the door closed to make sure no light could get in) I used my daughter Charlotte-rose as my model, she quite enjoyed be my little helper! I mounted my camera on a tripod, setting my camera to manual, I set my ISO to 100, shutter speed to 20 seconds and my aperture to F22. I framed and set my focus point manual with the light switched on. Once I had got the shot set up I switched the light off and used a torch to light my subject, 20 seconds is generally a good starting point for the shutter speed with this technique, it allows enough time to move the torch around during the exposure. If you are using a larger torch (giving more output) you can get away with less time and if you are using a smaller touch with less output you would need to increase the exposure time. Most cameras will allow for a maximum of 30 seconds.

I also tried this technique at night time in my living room. I placed a variety of 'Peguine Classic' postcards on top of a small table. Using the same technique I achieved some good results. As well as these images I also shot an image of a stack of my favourite books; I controlled the light by only moving the torch up and down in the middle of my framed shot, I did this because I wanted to add more darkness to the edge, just lighting up the book titles as that was main focus; I wanted the viewers eyes to be drawn to the books. Another shot I tried was to arrange a still life set up with a coffee theme using a coffee mug, a percolator and a jar of coffee beans; I think this worked effectively and the subject is well lit.

Overall I am happy with my final images, especially as it was my first attempt at 'light painting'. I would definitely use this technique in the future, it is such an interesting, creative and fun way to experiment; I also feel that this technique aids in the learning process regards shooting in low light conditions and controlling light itself, to achieve the results you want.

Thursday, 16 October 2014

Painting with light

This was my first attempt at light painting. For this series of images a fellow student helped me; I wanted to get a shot of the darkroom to use in my sketchbook for my darkroom work. My aim was to get an image of the darkroom lit up using the painting with light technique.

I positioned the camera (mounted on a tripod) at an angle facing towards the developing area as this was the key element i wanted to capture in my shots. Myself and Lisa worked together in setting the aperture and shutter speed, i then stood to the side of the shot and a used an LED torch to paint the light around the room slowly; using a long exposure allowed the time needed to create a soft flowing movement, enhancing the softness of the light. I changed my position until no flare from the torch could be seen in the final images. I then changed my focus and aimed to just light up the area with the developing trays, rather than the whole room; i hoped this would create a darker area with plenty of shadows to create a more in depth and atmospheric outcome.

I am happy with these final images, mostly because they were my first attempt at using this fantastic technique. All of the images are sharp and lit up well. I especially like the starry affect on the taps in the 2nd and 3rd images.

If i was to shoot this set up again, i would choose to use a wider angle as to get more of the room in the frame. I would then use the same technique to paint up only the developing area; i feel this would add more depth with a higher density of shadows, creating more impact and drama. I would also use this technique to photograph one of the enlargers to include in my sketchbook, this would supply me with a visual aid to tie in with my explanations of the darkroom and all it's wonderful equipment used in the realms of black & white printing.

Overall i will definitely use this technique in the future. Experimenting in photography is so much fun and can really help you along your journey, by discovering ways in which you can communicate your thoughts and ideas, while increasing your technical skills and adding more creativity to your palette.