How to do Light Painting Long Exposures During Daylight Hours

Long Exposure Photography  •  Photography Tips

Not all photos are just one shot. Digital overlaying is an editing technique that involves blending multiple shots together to create one finished photo. Brazilian photographer and artist Vitor Schietti does just that using light painting and Photoshop:

Schietti and his assistant start out by creating their own light paintings, and then they blend individual shots together during post-production to create one enhanced shot.

How to Create a Fireworks Light Sculpture

1. Set the camera up on a tripod.
2. Cover your lens with a dark ND filter to achieve long exposures in daylight.
3. Draw lines in the air using firework sparklers and a 3-meter rod.
4. Use the camera’s remote trigger to take motion shots.
5. Upload all shots to Adobe Lightroom.
6. Select, sync, and export chosen shots into Adobe Photoshop.
7. Lighten some shots in blending mode and create masks on each layer.
8. Adjust contrast and colors.

The camera is triggered using a remote control

One of multiple shots that will be edited together to create a “sculpture”

Voila! A finished “sculpture”

Finally, Schiettie mphasizes that no trees were harmed in the making of this project. He always has a fire extinguisher on hand and at least one assistant working with him—plus he claims the sparklers don’t even ignite fire that easily:

“I assure it is not that strong. Even kids are allowed to play with it.”