Night Photography Class

Creating abstract light art is fun and easy and can be done with just about any camera. You don’t need a tripod for this one unless you want to create precise lines and swirls. Although simple, this technique can create some very beautiful and intricate images. I’ve actually seen large prints created with this technique hanging on people’s walls. Who knows? You may have a future career as an abstract light artist.

The technique is simple. It should be dark enough to allow a shutter speed of 2-5 seconds although you can experiment with a variety of exposure settings. Choose an object to photograph. Reflective objects and different types of light sources tend to work best. Also, your subject doesn’t have to be something small. For example, you can use an entire street scene if you want.

Hold the camera in your hand and press the shutter button to begin the exposure. While the shutter is open move the camera around the object or scene you’re photographing. Try rotating the camera and moving closer or further away during the exposure. There aren’t any rules here but different types of movement create different effects and you’ll get a sense of what works as you practice.

The image below may look other-worldly but it’s actually a condiment bowl on a table at an outdoor cafe. The larger streaks of light are a result of the reflections from a metal salt shaker. The exposure time was 4 seconds at f/7.1 and ISO 400.

Neon signs make for some interesting images as evidenced by the shot below. Experiment with different light sources for an almost limitless variety of looks. The exposure time for this photograph was 5 seconds at f/16 and ISO 50.

More precise lines and swirls can be created by using a tripod. This shot of a street corner was made by tilting the tripod head sideways near the end of the exposure. The exposure time was 6 seconds at f/16 and ISO 320.

Just pointing the camera in front of you while you walk can yield interesting results. This image was a 5 second exposure at f/8 and ISO 200.

Common objects around the house such as this board game can be transformed into something magical and mysterious. This was a 5 second exposure at f/8 and ISO 100.

Written by Andy Heatwole on October 17, 2009 under Abstract Light Art.

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