If you follow my work, you know that I embrace the photographic genre of “Light Painting”.

"Still Life with Olive Oil" © Harold Ross

What is light painting? It’s a way of lighting a subject, whether it be a still life, a larger subject, or even a person.

Beyond the discussion of light painting techniques, one might ask “Why use a lighting technique that is more involved conceptually than just setting up a “static” light source?
The answer is, in some ways, rather simple, but in other ways, rather complex.

The simple explanation is that light painting affords us a certain look, one that very much enhances Depth, Dimension and Detail (I like to refer to these as my “3Ds”). The end result is exceptionally three-dimensional, and so much so that we reveal aspects of the subject that are not visible under more “ordinary” light sources.

"Screwdriver, Level, and Tape Measure" © Harold Ross

When I discuss how to light paint a still life, for instance, I talk about “skimming the light”. This refers to using the light at an acute angle to the subject. This reveals shape and texture at a very high level (sometimes too high!) Thank you, Aaron Jones, for teaching me this valuable lesson decades ago!

Fortunately, my specialized editing techniques allow us to fully reveal texture, or to mitigate the texture in a capture that reveals too much of it.

How are light painting tools and techniques intertwined? This is where lighting theory comes in. We want to use a small light source for the aestetically pleasing things it gives us; Shape, Local Application of Light, and Texture. That said, we need to move the light properly in order to make the light appear softer, which is more aesthetically pleasing than the hard look of a static small light source.

"Still Life with Watering Can and Radish" © Harold Ross

The tools are, indeed, very minimal (a flashlight, a way to diffuse it, a small hand-held LED panel, and a way to diffuse that; a diffusion scrim). And optionally, a light wand that fits onto the same flashlight (for creating fill light and in some cases, lighting small reflective subjects). Read more about My Tools.

The techniques themselves are also very minimal; Using the light from an acute angle, moving the light to soften it, and using an appropriate distance for each subject.

Does all of this take practice? Yes, but it is very straightforward and it all comes down to muscle memory. This is why, as part of my course, there is a lighting practice module that teaches one how to control the pool of light, something that is key to the technique.

My light painting techniques and editing methods are not difficult, but they do take some practice and some commitment. I feel that the results are definitely worth it!

All the best,

 -Harold