OUTDOOR LIGHTS-How to make common light painting portraits become surrealistic ?
The commonly we can areate light painting photography under 2 different light environments，a strong light environment and weak light environment。
Light-panting+portrait
"Everyone has a different aesthetic and preference for photography. When I paint Light-panting portraits, I don't like to draw too much concrete patterns (such as animals, flowers, boats. )In my opinion, the effect that can be achieved with Ps，which is unable to sublimate the work and convey emotion. The perfect combination of light painting and portrait is actually set off by light painting to show the hearts and emotions of the characters. Therefore, light painting portraits should have their own artistic expression.
If portraits photography is to express the current emotions of the lens, then light portraits express the emotions under the mind.
Its surreal visual effects seem to give you an unknown power. Maybe it appeared in your dream, but I can take you back to that moment through the image and record it. Creating a good work requires ability and imagination. It's also because abstract patterns erase more imagination.
So，I personally prefer to combine abstract images with portraits to express people's mood and artistic conception"
There are four things you need to prepare before you start shooting:
- Through the trial shoot, determine the camera and flash parameters. 2. After adjusting the parameters, start designing the modelling
- The wireless shutter has been set down.
- After the model posesis ready, use the bright light flashlight to help focus
the tools that must be used when shooting:
- Tripod (essential for anti-shaking)
- Strong light (strong light can be used alone, can also be added to the soft light cover, usually using strong light for auxiliary focus)
- The combination of the beehive and the radome makes the light concentrated and suitable for facing (it needs to be assembled with a flash, or it can be used with other tools such as a larger grille).
Strong light
beehive and the radome
When you're ready, take a look at the following four typical use cases.
1
example of using a constant light source in a dark environment
example photo "light of ruins"
tool:
1.pixelstick : https://amzn.to/3c4AqEu
2. Finger lamp
3. Steel wool : https://amzn.to/37R0Cir
it was filmed in an old building about to be renovated, and I was thinking of shooting a group of light-painted works containing Chinese elements, which began the journey of studying and shooting light-painted portraits.
- Preparation: the design of pixelstick output graphics, the use of Chinese characteristics of the safflower texture.
- Go to the venue early during the day to make sure it is safe and suitable for shooting. Go straight in at night and start shooting!
- Try to shoot. It is a very important step to try how the light pattern fits the venue and the model, so you need to try it many times, and each attempt should be treated as a brand-new thought.
Lighting: use a bright flashlight behind the shield (in this case, the pillar). It should be noted that, using the characteristics of bright flashlights and remote bright lights, lighting can be designed according to the character image that the individual wants to create (the light of the sample photo is on one side and back of the body, in order to highlight the outline of the character and the sense of space)
2
light-panting portraits in super ambient light
example photo: Night Elves
tool: LLP tube (20cm)
Located in LOFTER and Hongqiao Xintiandi-Lyon Light Festival Night beat. Shooting and painting on Lantern Festival is actually a big challenge. The scene environment is bright, must be in the relatively short exposure time, can make the photo avoid overexposure. In the public environment, finding a background that fits the theme is also a problem.
It should be noted that when the light painting portrait outside , through the light trace and the scene to do the combination, the choice of what kind of site is particularly important. Therefore, before shooting, first of all, make sure that you have enough time to choose the venue, set the combination of character modeling and light painting in different scenes, such as example photos, at Christmas, the Christmas tree light-themed photo "Christmas halo" was born.
3
under complex ambient light
sample photo "return"
tool: LLP light knife model B
Located in Old Summer Palace Road Waibaidu Bridge, the originally planned shooting site, due to the lack of wide-angle lens. As a result, the composition was immediately changed and photographed on the opposite side, and different visual effects were obtained. Take a look at the complex light environment at the time (the video is at the top). The light at the scene is very complicated. The light on the left side of the photo is bright enough for building lights, street lamps and car lights, while the light on the right side of the photo is simple and slightly dark. At this time, the face needs to be replenished.
In this kind of light condition, even if does not fill the light model is also very clear, but needs a fill light to let the model face detail show.
Lighting: a combination of flash, radome and beehive is used to express character details, especially facial details.
4
Dark light environment
example photo: light Halo
tool: LLP lightknife double blade / three blade
shooting site is located in the ruins of Shanghai and the grass near the Dragon Art Museum. The ambient light of this group of photos is so weak that it has little impact on the shooting, so there is no problem with using a flash or a flashlight to light a character.
If you want to use a flashlight to fill the portrait, be careful not to scan the same part repeatedly, otherwise it will cause local overexposure and affect the whole picture.
After reading these four different styles of light painting works, careful observation of small partners will notice that commonly used light painting photography can achieve both dark light environment and strong light environment in two environments.
This is two different styles of light painting, one is a large ratio of light, the other is a small ratio of light. Because of the differences in the environment, the camera parameters have also changed significantly, which is also a clear contrast between large aperture and small aperture in photo photography.
The following two works are taken as an example:
dark light environment f / 6.3 190s ISO 100
stront light environment f /10 4‘9s ISO 100
The difference in parameters is very obvious, the "wall knock" this one does not need to light, because the exposure time is long enough, the finger lamp light is enough to illuminate the model, just need to turn on the aperture a little bit clear main body is no problem.
The second background is very bright and also does not need to be lit because there is enough light. What if the ISO is kept to a minimum and is still bright，how to do？ Then turn down the aperture and the exposure time will be short enough so that your shadow will not be too obvious and the picture will not be overexposed.
There is also a misunderstanding of light painting portraits to prove that in fact, large aperture can also shoot light painting portraits.
In this case, it is necessary to shoot in the outdoor weak light environment in order to play an advantage, at this time the light painting can produce translucent effect and background fusion, of course, the background light point distribution is also very important.
For how to fill the light, the light of the knife will brighten the body and face.
F4 4s iso400 tool: LLP light knife h2
F/2.82sISO50 tool: LLP light knife b2
Light painting is often in the scene to find inspiration, rely on strain judgment to solve problems, therefore, practice is the first rule of light painting.
This is the end of this issue of practical information teaching. I hope that after reading this article, you will have a different understanding and perception of the light portrait.
I am here, looking forward to your surreal blockbuster!