You don’t have to light paint everything in a scene. Sometimes, keeping parts in the shadow is emotionally more powerful.

The abandoned Hog Farm hippie commune. Wavy Gravy and his wife once stayed here in the 1960s. California.
The abandoned Hog Farm hippie commune. Wavy Gravy and his wife once stayed here in the 1960s. California.

What is light painting?

The term is often used loosely to describe any addition of light to a night photograph. Really, though, light painting is a technique that uses a handheld light source to illuminate a scene during a long exposure. Your flashlight is your paint brush, and you are quite literally painting the scene with light. Similar to a film director, you control what you illuminate and what you keep in shadow using your handheld light. Night photographers have used this technique for many decades.

Let’s see how I went about light painting this image.

Before I begin…what is this?

Nestled in nature, it’s easy to see why the Hog Farm hippie commune would have moved to this actual hog farm on top of a mountain in California in the 1960s. Founded by peace activist Wavy Gravy, the Hog Farm is perhaps best known for their involvement at Woodstock in 1969.

I put some miles on my shoes that day. I only had an exposure of 50 seconds because the city lights below would otherwise grow too bright. So I ran from position to position to light the windows and doorways in a single exposure.

Running…so much running

Earlier that day, I had walked three miles for my usual exercise. Then in the evening, I made the 1.3-mile night hike up the steep mountain trail. I probably walked (or sometimes ran) for about two miles while photographing. During the hike back down, my knees began feeling the weight of the camera bag and the day’s mileage.

The setup and the lighting

Setting my camera on a tripod, I focused it on the interior of the building and set the camera for 50 seconds at f/9 ISO 200. I stopped down a bit to get the city lights more as pinpoints as well as to lessen the amount of light in the exposure in general. 

I probably lit this the way you think I might. Then, I ran around the exterior of the building. I stopped at each window and doorway. There, I aimed a red-colored light from my ProtoMachines LED2 light for several seconds before hastily moving on to the next opening. Finally, I ran to the back of the building, ducked underneath the two windows, and aimed the light up at each window. The first time I attempted this photo, I didn’t run fast enough, and only one of the back windows was lit.

Sure, I could have lit the interior. But it wouldn’t have felt as ominous. In this case, I felt that emotionally, it felt heavier and weightier to leave the walls and ground in dark shadow. Mysterious. Emotional. Sometimes, less is more. And it’s up to you as the artist to determine what is right for you.

ProtoMachines lights

I get a lot of questions about the ProtoMachines, and I should have addressed it earlier. There is currently no stock. I hope that they release more lights in the future. However, for now, what I would recommend is that you simply email them to get on their waiting list. Tell them I said hello.

If you wish to light paint with another light, there are many options available. I have written Bright ideas: The best light painting tools for night photography, a guide that provides a lot of information about light painting subjects.