The first thing you need to do is set up your camera. There are three main pillars on which a freezelight rests: shutter speed, aperture and light sensitivity.

The shutter speed should be set to a value at which you have time to draw the pattern you want, that is, from 5 seconds. If you are trying to draw a letter or number, then this minimum value is enough. If you are planning something more grandiose, then it is better to involve other people so that everyone can draw in the air everything you have in mind.

We will not delve into scientific terms and say that the optimal sensitivity value will be 100 ISO. Using the aperture, you can regulate the amount of light entering: with a smaller aperture value, less light enters the matrix, with a larger aperture, vice versa.

The slightest breath of wind or hand trembling affects the image quality, so it is better to use a tripod when shooting. Also, if there are uneven surfaces, the old method is used - the camera is placed on scattered cereal.

Freezelight: technology and light sources

You can only take a freezelight photo in the dark or in an unlit room. This occurs due to the recording of only bright light sources on the film, and since artificial source the light will not be outshone by daylight in brightness, your drawings will not be noticeable in the photo. Light sources mean all kinds of flashlights, lasers, fluorescent lamps, sparklers.

When using a laser, you will be able to draw a pattern on some object, and when using sparklers, you will get “fluffy” lines. By the way, the camera will only be able to capture red, green, blue, yellow and white, so take this feature into account when designing your image.

How to draw freezelight: training

Before you get started, you need to practice a little so that you can draw the pattern you want in the air using design thinking. Not everyone manages to do this the first time.

Disguised under black clothing and moving quickly, you can safely create a pattern with light in the camera lens, since you will not be visible in the photo. If you want to show off next to intricate and fantastic patterns, direct a direct beam of light towards yourself.

Attempts to paint something with light have been made for a long time - one of the first who tried to do this was Salvador Dali. However, in the modern sense, this type of photography arose quite recently. Now, due to the widespread use of cameras, the art of freezelighting is experiencing a revival. Anyone who has a camera with an adjustable shutter speed can create glowing patterns in photos. You can have fun this way with friends, or you can create masterpieces alone. No matter how old you are, anyone can master the art of freezing.

Below are freezelight photos provided by the creative association

New Year is one of the most solemn and widespread holidays in our country. It is usually celebrated in big company: in the family circle or with friends, colleagues. If there is an amateur photographer in such a company, then during the celebration you can take such an unusual shot in freezelight style.

NIKON D810 / 85.0 mm f/1.4 SETTINGS: ISO 100, F8, 2 sec, 85.0 mm equiv.

The name “freezelight” literally translates as “freezing light,” but it would be more accurate to say “painting with light.” Its essence is that at a shutter speed of several seconds, any point light source is moved directly in the frame: a small flashlight, a candle or a sparkler. In this case, the entire trajectory of the light source remains in the image. But the “artist” is like this long exposure will be blurred by its own movements, at best it will remain a not very clear silhouette.

This way you can draw and write inscriptions right in the frame. Of course, this requires some skill, but you can learn it literally in a few attempts.

It is especially interesting to conduct such shooting collectively: let each participant in the process draw something in the frame. For example, I asked four of my friends to draw each a number. As a result, the photo ended up with the inscription “2015”. Of course, you can shoot freezelight alone, but it’s more interesting and fun with company. Everything you need for shooting:

Tripod. After all, the shooting will be carried out at a shutter speed of several seconds. If you hold the camera in your hands, nothing will work: the frame will be blurry and unclear. If you don’t have a tripod, you can place the camera on a table, a chair, a stack of books, or any other reliable surface. However, without a tripod it will be more difficult to compose the photo, and ideal sharpness is unlikely to be achieved.

A camera with the ability to manually adjust shutter speed. For example, any of the mirror Nikon cameras: Nikon D3300, Nikon D5300, Nikon D7100. Any lens is also suitable for such shooting. Nikon 1 system cameras (Nikon 1 J4, Nikon 1 S2, Nikon 1 V3) and many “advanced” compact cameras, for example Nikon COOLPIX P600, have the same capability.

Poor lighting. In order to have time to draw something with light in the frame, you need a shutter speed of at least two seconds. To achieve such a long shutter speed without getting the frame too bright, you need to shoot in the dark. For example, at home with the lights off or on the street at night. To make the frame look more interesting, it is better to draw not in pitch darkness, but so that some objects in the background or foreground are still visible. For the shoot, I built a composition from a burning candle, a Christmas tree decoration, tinsel and a New Year tree.

Freezelight: camera settings

So, the camera is mounted on a tripod, the frame is composed. It's time to think about settings!

• We need a long exposure. To control it, it is best to shoot in S (shutter priority) or M (fully manual) mode. How long should the shutter speed be? It largely depends on the shooting conditions and how long you plan to paint with light in the frame. Usually 2-10 s is enough. If you are shooting something large, you can set the shutter speed to 30 s. If you are unsure about the shutter speed, I recommend starting with 5s. In S mode, the automatic system will automatically adjust the aperture depending on the parameters you choose and shooting conditions. Experienced photographers who know how to work in M ​​mode will be able to independently select the aperture based on their own considerations. Freezelight shooting usually occurs at apertures F8-F22.

Set ISO to minimum. This will ensure maximum image quality and will prevent overexposure of the frame at long exposures.

Adjust white balance. This will ensure correct color reproduction in the photo. To shoot sparklers, you can use the “incandescent” white balance preset.

Set your camera to self-timer. This will prevent the camera from shaking on a tripod or support when you press the shutter button. With self-timer, the camera itself will signal your artists when to start painting.

Focus on the shooting distance in advance. Some objects included in the frame will again help you with this. I focused on the candle. If you're shooting in complete darkness, you'll have to turn on the light, focus, and then turn off autofocus; it won't work in complete darkness.

So, everything is ready! Give tasks to friends who will draw in the frame. I asked everyone to draw a number. You can come up with your own ideas: fantasize! After that, light the sparklers and press the shutter button. If you're doing everything alone, running the self-timer on your camera will give you time to light the fire and get ready to draw on your own. Make several options and then choose the best one! Share the resulting photos in the comments to the article!

What can you draw with? Perhaps anyone can list several dozen options, from the most obvious to the very exotic. But few will offer to draw... with light on the camera matrix. Meanwhile, today this is a very popular art form, located at the intersection of painting and photography and called freezelight (literally “frozen light”).

The freezelight consists of the following: a long shutter speed (from five seconds) is set in the camera, after which a picture is drawn in the dark with some point light source (or several) in front of the lens. The result is a pattern of stripes of light in the photograph. With the right approach, it can be extremely effective, as proven by numerous works in this style.

Freezelight itself is not very complicated, but it still has several features, which we will discuss below.

1. Draw in different colors

For freezelight, you can, strictly speaking, use any stable light source (that is, a candle will not work very well), but the most best works are obtained by using different colors, and the more unusual they are, the better. Just keep in mind that problems may arise with halftones - they will be difficult to distinguish from each other, so it is better to choose saturated colors. Color lasers are not recommended - they may damage the camera.

2. Use a tripod

In order for the drawing to turn out exactly the way you would like, the camera must be motionless, because the shooting is carried out at a long shutter speed, which means that otherwise blurring is inevitable, and the drawing will be completely ruined. Accordingly, you need a tripod or at least a bookshelf, table or any other object that can ensure the camera remains motionless throughout the entire shooting.

3. Keep it completely dark

This may seem trivial, but any extraneous light sources will affect the final drawing to the point of simply ruining it. Therefore, it is better to shoot outdoors away from streetlights, and at home - in a closed room with curtained windows or no windows at all. It’s the same with clothes - they should be dark, because light-colored clothes, and especially clothes with reflective elements, will make you visible in the frame.

4. Exercise

In freezelighting, practice is extremely important, because the first time you can hardly get even an ordinary emoticon, let alone a complex drawing. Plus, most beginning freezelighters do not have the necessary level of spatial imagination at first, which means they need to train this too. Therefore, it is necessary not only to start each painting with two or three trial attempts, but also to simply practice as often as possible.

5. Plan your drawing in advance

This is especially true if a complex pattern is assumed, including in the case where there is more than one participant. It is necessary to first calculate the movements of everyone and make marks (just make sure that they are visible in the dark, but not visible in the picture). Practice approximate movements first in the light to make it easier to control the imaginary axis of symmetry (in the dark it will become one of your main reference points).

6. Reflections add drama

We advise you to start drawing from the ground or some other surface so that you get reflections in the picture. This, firstly, will visually give your drawing volume and make it more impressive, and secondly, it will confirm its authenticity (since it cannot be reproduced).

(eng. freezelight), light brush, light graphics (English light graphic), light painting (English light painting - drawing with light) - a style of photography, a technique of painting with light, practically a new genre in the art of photography, hereinafter referred to as "freezelight".
To shoot in this style, you don’t need any other graphic editor, except to reduce the size of the photos, and everything else is done with the help of a camera, a tripod, shutter speed, a flashlight and creative thinking.

Freezelight photography technique.

How to make freezelight at home.

Video lessons on shooting with light.

Photos from the freezelight series / Lichtfaktor

5. How to make sure that the person drawing with light is not visible?

If you are drawing in a strongly lit place and even in light clothes, you will have to move VERY quickly and close it tightly, find the optimal value. It is almost impossible to leave a clean drawing without the presence of your shadow/phantom in the frame in light clothes in a light location.

6. Which cameras are suitable for freezelighting?

A smooth, soft light pattern appears on more or less open ones (f4-f10) depending on the lighting. Almost always prerequisite is a lamp lamp with a diffusion (scattering) folic filter. You can also try laminator film of different densities, cut a sample along the radius of your flashlight and cut off a third from it, try experimenting. If yours has the ability to focus, defocus it, so the line will be a little more flexible.

If you have ever been in a dark room for a long time, you may have noticed how your eyes get used to the darkness. Any random light source draws a line in front of you, which disappears almost instantly, and the longer you are in a dark room and the larger the light source, the longer this time (the time when you see the line). This is how our perception works. When doing light graphics, sometimes you can not leave the dark studio for hours and after a while, if you don’t move into place, the line you just drew will hang in front of your eyes for a second or two, or your consciousness will be sure of it - it doesn’t matter. This can be used for clearer coordination. That is why, every time and with new and new takes in the studios, the drawings turn out to be more and more harmonious. If you don’t constantly turn on the modeling light on the flashes to move around the studio.

30. How to “think” with light.

If you catch yourself thinking that you are constantly peering into dark alleys and noticing the position of light sources in the city, if you notice parks without city lights on the horizon, if you involuntarily estimate the composition and brightness of a drawing in some place - you are a freezelighter :) You can learn this, that’s it comes with experience. Draw with light more often, experiment with filming locations and light, be interested in the inner genres of endless art!

31. What camera settings should I choose?

To create drawings with light, you need to set the camera for 10-15 seconds, during which time you will have time to create a simple image. The larger the camera, the brighter the photo will be. It is advisable to close from f7.1 to f18; this is the most common range of values ​​among Russian freezelighters. The higher the f number, the more closed and darker it is. For long periods of time, city lights create interesting stars on the horizon that can be beautifully included in the composition of the shot. Light sensitivity iso100 is the most acceptable value. The higher the matrices, the brighter and more noise. White balance according to circumstances. You can set the “sun” and shoot in RAW to find the necessary balance afterwards. Read more about camera settings for painting with light in our article:

33. How to draw spheres?

The best light source for creating spheres is LED lights; they shine 360 ​​degrees in three dimensions. Determine the center of the future sphere, place a pebble or something else on it. Release the shutter and spin the poi so that the center of the sphere's radius is above your mark. Turn on poi. Move yourself around this center WITHOUT CROSSING IT! Walk around spinning the LED poi at a relatively outstretched arm; when finished, first turn off the poi, and only then stop the rotation. You can modify them with sparklers, lasers (the laser may hit the lens, but this is not scary since you will spin the poi very quickly). Modify with burning steel wool, fireworks in the end.

34. How to draw fog?

Many have seen the effect of fog in light drawings. This is left by a diffusing surface that moves along with the light source, for example a matte/gold reflector that many photographers use. For greater effect, you can use EL thread; such tools are usually assembled by the freezelighters themselves.

35. What is EXIF ​​data?

EXIF is system information, which the camera writes to a file. Values ​​such as: , photosensitivity, white balance, focal length, camera model, etc. can be found by opening the file in any image viewing program, then right-click on the file and select “properties”.

36. How to create realtime light paint (live)?

You can draw pictures and simple drawings in real time. We have used such a program several times, but the result of digital processing of the application leaves much to be desired. The light texture is almost completely absent and the drawings themselves resemble computer graphics drawn in Photoshop. The software from the Meidza project is called Lightpaintlive. Using your laptop's webcam and light tools, you can practice creating simple honeycomb designs here and now. The project allows you to try the web version of the program or buy the full version for your desktop computer.

37. (animation) how to create a cartoon?

On assembling animation using the example of the Sony Vegas program. Most video editing software will be suitable if the program has the ability to insert photos for a certain time interval. More details about creating animation can be found in our separate article:

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