Light Painting with sparklers...

kevy73

Senior Member
Had a bit of fun with a bride and groom 3 weeks ago. They had bought some sparklers for their exit, but I wanted to use a couple to get a fun photo beforehand!
 

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kevy73

Senior Member
Looks great !! How did you capture it? Method of doing it ?

Method....

Camera settings:
Camera mounted on tripod - shutter release cable.
ISO 100, F/5.0, 5.0 second shutter - This can be give or take, you just need about 5 seconds to write the word love... so go with what will give you 5 seconds. If my aperture needed to be f11 then that is what I would have done.

Flash on rear sync. SB-900 on manual at 1/16th power I think from memory

So to create the shot.

Get the bride and groom in a nice pose which is simple for them to keep as still as physically possible - even though the flash will freeze them at the end, their keeping still stops the ghosting around them.

Get the bride to hold a sparkler and light hers... next get your assistant to light her sparkler from the brides and hold them together so 1 main point of sparkle. Count down them for the shutter... 3..2...1 click GO! Your assistant writes the word love as best they can in the 5 seconds... it takes some practice... and you do get some funny results. Once they have written the word, get them to move as far out of the shot - the sparkler trail follows them, but that is easily fixed after, what you dont want is them in frame when the flash fires at the end of the shutter - otherwise you can see them too. I will attach the trials before we got it right...

Hope that helps.
 

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Daz

Senior Member
Hope that helps.

Thanks Kevy that makes perfect sense ! I was just wondering how you got them perfectly still and the "Love" written right but no light trail going out of shot !

Would it be worth taking a shot with the couple in, then doing a shot without them in and overlaying them in Photoshop? or is this how you got rid of your assistants light trail ?
 

kevy73

Senior Member
Probably except I have no PS skills whatsoever and pretty much go into the fetal position if I have to open it. It is fun getting it in camera. But yes, PS would end up with a cleaner shot for sure.
 
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