Stop your light painting from looking flat and dull right now

Do you light up your subjects only to find that they look flat and dull? Look no further. We are here to help with your light painting!

Above: Differences in handheld light painting angles. The left photo is lit while standing directly in back of the camera. The right photo is lit from camera right and to the side of the columns. In both examples, I am illuminating the columns with the handheld flashlight at the same distance, brightness, and amount of time. The only thing that has changed is the angle (where I am standing with the handheld flashlight).

The most common mistake that creates flat, dull lighting in your photos

Your light painting can look as boring as dirty dishwater if you do not alter the angle that you light paint at relative to your camera.

Here’s an example. When someone takes a photo of you using a flash from a camera phone, do you feel it’s flattering? Of course not. The lighting looks unnatural, flat and often, overexposed. In short, it looks ugly.

If you light paint from behind your camera, you’re using the same angle. And you have even less reason to be doing this than using the flash using your phone’s camera. You have a handheld flashlight, after all. You can light paint from any angle you choose.

Above: Examples of illumination from different angles. The first one is lit while standing directly behind the camera. All illumination is for the same amount of time and distance from the flashlight to the statue.

By light painting at different angles, you can create shadows. Shadows on the surface can create depth and detail. Even more than that, you can create mystery by using different angles.

Learn from looking at other images

Have a look at the photos. Where am I standing? Why do these photos have detail and depth from the lighting? How can you use lighting angles like this in your own photographs? 

Even better, learning about these angles can take your portrait, landscape, product, macro, and street photography to the next level. You can use available light to your advantage, being aware of how it falls on your subjects. And you may also use additional lighting to create more texture, keeping boring, flat lighting at bay.

Going above and beyond with your light painting

After mastering angles of lighting, you can sometimes throw in a pop of color to really set your light painting apart. Use this for human-made subjects as well as landscape. An LED flashlight with colored plastic bags, Roscolux gels, or RGB LED lights such as the RGB Critter 2.0 can really create some fantastic colors.

Night photo with Pentax camera. Abandoned mine, Mojave Desert. Pentax K-1. What angles were used to create these details and shadow? How do these colors create a particularly unique quality that sets this photo apart from other photos you’ve seen?

• Posted on November 8, 2024