1. Set your camera up on the tripod and compose your shot (if you are in a room, obviously do this with the lights on, if outside at night - ask God to turn the sun on for a sec while you compose). Set the focus and then turn auto focus off.

2. Camera Settings: The exposure length is up to you, depending on what you want to paint but as the exposure length increases, you will need to decrease the aperture (lower aperture will cut out most of the background if outside) set the ISO to 100 - 200.

3. Use the timer button to start the exposure (a) So there is no camera shake and (b) So you can get in front of the camera to begin painting.

Start painting!
Use a torch, sparklers, lighter.. Whatever!

There are a few different ways to paint:

1. “Draw” in the air shining your light device at the camera.
2. Light up things you want to stand out.
3. Forget the tripod and move the camera around - this is cool to do in town with lots of lights around, creating quite a random effect (be careful of flashbacks to that night you had some acid and while waiting for it to come on you had alot to drink and then when you thought nothing was going to happen you smoked a joint and then WOW!)

Check out the gallery below for examples of these.

This can be done with dSLR’s, digital point and shoots and film cameras - although unless you have the force, I’d stick to digital so you can see the results straight away.

Tips:
Use different colour lights
Tie your light to a piece of string and twirl it around

Anything to add? Did I say something wrong? Post below!

Top photo by: Vincent Ghyssens
Angel photo by: iamheero
Tripping out photo by: Donnaphoto
Car photo by: armerjunge