Street Talk: Alex Tam
Bored of taking plain old snapshots? Why not use a flashlight to write messages and craft patterns in the air, and then capture them with a camera? Alex Tam (pictured left) is the CEO and founder of Fotobeginner.com, a website that features photography and light painting tips for novices. He talks to Gina Ng about the pleasure he’s found in the pastime.
HK Magazine: How and why did you start light painting?
Alex Tam: I have been working on light painting for about two years. I was inspired by a YouTube clip from Japan. It shows a group of people using a light painting technique to shoot about 10,000 photos. They then used software to group the photos into a video, and the effect was amazing. Besides, light painting was not that popular in Hong Kong at that time, so my team introduced it on our website.
HK: What’s so special about light painting?
AT: The most special part about light painting is creativity. You can draw whatever you want using a torch or different light colors. In a nutshell, light painting is unique and it’s easy to do. Some photography beginners like light painting because they feel bored just taking pictures of birds or people.
HK: What did your first light painting photograph look like?
AT: It was a very simple one—I did it on a beach. I tried to draw my own English name. I had to work on the distance and position of the letters to make sure that they weren’t overlapping. You can’t see while you’re drawing, but it’s a lot easier and more convenient to do light painting nowadays because you can look at your pictures on the digital camera directly.
HK: Is it possible to do light painting without high-end equipment?
AT: Sure. Light painting is simply using light to draw. Basically, you just need a camera, a torch and a tripod. You can find a dim environment, and set up a tripod to let the camera have a longer exposure time and keep it stable. Then you have to open the shutter of your camera for 10 to 20 seconds, or even longer. The next is to use your torch to draw. The light painting pattern depends on how you move the torch. You can also use other tools, such as glow sticks or even fireworks.
HK: Is it necessary to be a good/professional photographer to take satisfactory light painting pictures?
AT: No. Light painting doesn’t focus on your photography skills—it depends more so on how you design and draw the light painting pattern. I would recommend beginners to first draw the light painting pattern on a piece of paper before taking pictures. It will be a mess if you don’t even know how to draw it on the paper.
HK: What camera are you shooting with?
AT: I’m shooting with my Nikon D90, it’s a single-lens reflex camera (DSLR). It’s better to use cameras with a manual mode and shutter priority when doing light painting, such as DSLR or prosumer [on the border between professional and consumer] cameras, otherwise it’s hard to control the exposure time.
HK: Do you organize any classes to teach light painting photography?
AT: Yes. We organize a light painting class every month, and students usually go outdoors to practice. Last year we taught more than 1,000 students. It would be fun to gather more light painting fans to bring together in the future.
Want to create your own light painting pictures? Visit www.fotobeginner.com for upcoming events and courses (website in Chinese only). You can also email Tam at [email protected] for more photography tips.