How To : Light Painting the Audi RS6

When this image of an Audi RS6, an Audi RS4 and a Yamaha R1 was released a lot of people asked how it was created. So here's a little how-to that shows the image being put together.

Prints of this image are available for purchase.

Light Painting

Light painting involves opening the camera's shutter for several seconds in a somewhat dark environment and then using a hand held light source to 'paint' the subject with light. Often, multiple exposures are taken when using this technique, each exposure painting a different part of the subject. Capturing multiple frames can reduce noise and increases flexibility to create different lighting 'looks' in the final composite image. For this image of the Audi RS6 fourteen frames were captured. The video below shows them being put together.

More below the video.

Audi RS6 • Audi RS4 • Yamaha R1 from Marcus Schoo on Vimeo.

For this particular image we used a simple head torch as a light source. The shutter was typically left open for about five to ten seconds at f4 but your aperture (or shutter speed) may vary depending on the strength of your light source and the speed at which you move the light over the surface of the subject.

To achieve sharpness once all the frames are added together it is imperative that neither the camera nor the subject move during or between the exposures. A rock solid tripod and a cable release (preferable wireless) are highly recommended. Using your camera's 'live view' mode can also reduce movement by avoiding 'mirror slap'.

When painting the subject with light it is not particularly important to keep the painter or the light source itself out of frame. The extended exposure together with the fact the painter is moving and not directly lit mean that they are unlikely to appear in the captured image. Having the the light source in frame and facing the camera can create interesting 'light graffiti' features.

Captured frames are brought into Photoshop as layers, masked and composited. The video above gives a run through of how this particular image was put together.

This type of image and the techniques employed to create it are a departure from our more usual pursuits. These images were created largely by trial and error which really is half the fun. The key here is experimentation. Try different apertures, ISO, shutter speeds, light sources, 'light' strokes etc. Digital film is cheap so play around and share your results.