Discover tips for night photography—from car light trails to light painting and silhouettes. Learn how to experiment with light outdoors.

Learn how to maintain sharpness when light painting. Flash is not the only way—lighting, color, and movement can be utilized in creative ways. Learn to light your models so they look natural. Also, learn how to create depth while working with multiple light sources. Finally, where does color theory come into play? In this installment, we’ll take a look at advanced techniques that will take your light painting portraits to the next level.  

Almost every photographer has tried light painting at some point. Long exposures, running around with a flashlight or string of lights is great fun, but we usually don’t expect much from the resulting photos. They’re just light trails. But with some patience and creativity, this technique can be used to create stunning works of art, including light-painted portraits.  

Light painting, also known as luminography, can be defined as painting with light. It's a creative photography technique where you use a light source and long exposures to create abstract images, light portraits, futuristic cityscapes, and more. Creativity knows no bounds!

Even with primitive props, you can take photographs with a look that’s beyond the everyday. Give it a try and stop worrying for a bit about how to capture what’s in front of you—you’ll just be thinking about how to create a picture. You simply need to wait for night and light up your phone, a headlamp, or flashlight, or just anything you have at hand. And the fun can begin!