Light Painting + selective lighting? + long exposure

[GarenT]

So I wanted to get a good nighttime shot of our Christmas tree this year. But I wanted the true feeling of the room with the outside landscape lights showing and everything,(and then later I decided to try the to add the light painting to the mix!)




How I did it: Well I obviously used a tripod, and then set it up so the tree outside landed right in the window pane. Then I played around with the settings and ended up with the following on my D90:
F/22 for 25sec.(bulb) at 18mm using ISO 1000, and a -1.5 exposure compensation.

As I started I knew if the shutter was open long enough to expose the outside lights, the Christmas lights would just blow-out the whole picture, so I had it completely dark inside the house with just the landscape lights on outside, and opened the shutter. (Originally I just waited 15 seconds or so and then flashed the Christmas tree lights, but then I decided to add some light painting) So, Then I wrote the message with a small LED keychain. I did not write it backwards and flip it, I just held the light in my hand so that it was pointed back towards the camera, so my wrist was bent back toward me as I wrote it.(this would be much easier if you are left handed!)
Then when I was finished with the writing, I turned on the Christmas tree lights for just a second or so....

I screwed up a whole bunch of times, If you've light painted before you've been there! and this is actually an in-camera composite of 2 shots, I did the "2009" on a separate exposure, it got to be too long and the room was really getting exposed with the shutter open for so long...

Garen

[MidwestBeachBum]

Cool picture...insane explanation!! sounds waaayyy too complicated for me... :-)

[GarenT]

Originally Posted by MidwestBeachBum

Cool picture...insane explanation!! sounds waaayyy too complicated for me... :-)

Thanks, it was fun to do...
and it really sounds harder than it is! If you start with the basic outside inside exposure its realy just open the shutter, wait, flash the tree lights, close the shutter... easy peasy...

Garen

[Kieran2009]

I like the concept and it sounds like fun to do. I have tried a few long exposures and overblowing it is an issue. Just a suggestion and is completely personal taste but I think I would have somehow placed the light writing in the bottom left hand corner of the photo. It would have made a nice card like effect. How exactly one would do this I'm not sure.

[arlon]

That's clever. Neat picture!

[garrettth]

i might have to do this tonight!

[MKlem]

Nice shot! I have played with some light writing myself
PC182266_2 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
and I know how many times it can take to get it right! Its lots of fun though!

[GarenT]

Originally Posted by Kieran2009

I like the concept and it sounds like fun to do. I have tried a few long exposures and overblowing it is an issue. Just a suggestion and is completely personal taste but I think I would have somehow placed the light writing in the bottom left hand corner of the photo. It would have made a nice card like effect. How exactly one would do this I'm not sure.

Great Idea, Maybe I'll give it a try! gonna have to sit on the floor and write!

Originally Posted by arlon

That's clever. Neat picture!

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Originally Posted by garrettth

i might have to do this tonight!

Cool!, Lets see how yours turn out!

Originally Posted by MKlem

Nice shot! I have played with some light writing myself
PC182266_2 on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
and I know how many times it can take to get it right! Its lots of fun though!

Looks Great! Yeah, I kind of got the idea from the "love" thread and just added a few more techniques!

Thanks, everyone for the comments!

Garen

[the_milkman]

This is sooo cool...

thanks for sharing!!!!

[CaptainNH]

Great work Garen - I've very jealous of your legible mid-air handwriting I think the only way I would get anything legible onto a photo would be to use my tablet and shop it into the image

It must have been a lot of fun - I'm glad you tried it and shared your result with us.