01 Book presentationWatch on YouTube ↗
Watch the book film on YouTube ↗
02 / Out in the fieldTheir method, shared
Two people creating a light-painting photograph in a lake at blue hour, reflected in the water

One handheld light creates the trace and lights the subject. The landscape supplies the rest.

Their outdoor technique starts with a flashlight inside a plastic tube. Moving it through a long exposure creates a visible shape, while the same light illuminates the person and the ground around them. They work with the light already in the landscape, without adding a flash.

Outdoor Light-Painting Photography is a light-painting book shaped by ten years of experimentation. Its step-by-step tutorials explain how to prepare, choose your tools, balance ambient and painted light, and adapt when conditions change.

Most of the photographs are made in a single exposure. The authors also explain when they use multiple exposures or two cameras, and how they process the results.

Explore the contents ↓
176 pagesTechniques & field references
8 chaptersFrom first setup to final image
Ilex PressPaperback & ebook
A cat beside the field guide on a concrete tabletop beneath large green leaves
03 / The techniqueUnderstand the choices behind the image

How the
light works.

A dancer surrounded by sweeping white light trails in a snow-covered forest
01

Light the person
with the shape

The tube draws the trace and illuminates your subject. Learn how its direction, your gesture, and the distance between you change the result, without a separate flash.

A single light source / p. 48
02

Balance with available light

Blue hour fades. The Moon changes the shadows. An aurora changes the sky. Work through eleven outdoor scenarios, with planning advice, starting settings, and case studies.

Shooting scenarios / pp. 70–125
03

Keep yourself
out of the picture

Black clothing alone will not make you disappear. Understand alignment, body position, and silhouettes, then learn to keep the subject sharp while you move the light.

Position & movement / pp. 56–65
04

Know what
to take with you

Start with simple tools, prepare the camera, and scout your location. Keep equipment checklists, tube-color references, and a tube datasheet close at hand.

Gear, preparation & reference

Getting started with light-painting

How to do light-painting

Keep the camera steady on a tripod and open the shutter. Move a light through the scene during the exposure. With Kim and Eric's tube technique, the trace also illuminates the person. Start in blue hour and adjust the exposure as the ambient light changes.

What equipment do you need?

A camera with manual exposure, a tripod, a flashlight, and a plastic tube are the starting kit described in the book. A remote trigger lets the photographer move into the frame. Practise a simple shape before adding more equipment.

Learning light-painting

The book starts with equipment and preparation, then follows the choices behind the photograph: where to stand, how to move the light, and how to keep the subject sharp. Its light-painting tutorials and field references are for beginners as well as photographers refining their technique.

A dancer surrounded by a circular light trail beneath a starry violet sky, reflected in still water
04 / Table of contentsThe complete guide

Inside
the book.

Open a chapter to explore its topics.
Page numbers refer to the print edition.

01

Introduction

  1. What is light painting?10
  2. Profile: Denis Smith12
  3. Profile: Darren Pearson14
  4. Technique overview16
02

What's in my bag

  1. Photography equipment22
  2. Light-painting equipment26
03

Preparing for the night

  1. Initial camera configuration32
  2. Location scouting34
  3. Composition36
  4. Get ready to shoot38
  5. Workflow42
04

Starting with light

  1. The environment46
  2. A single light source48
  3. Light-painting shapes50
  4. Make yourself invisible56
  5. Silhouettes60
  6. Lighting your subject62
  7. Getting a sharp subject64
05

Shooting scenarios

  1. Black canvas70
  2. The Moon74
  3. Blue hour80
  4. Stars86
  5. Milky Way90
  6. Winter96
  7. Beach100
  8. Cityscape104
  9. Star trails108
  10. Auroras114
  11. Windy nights120
06

Additional tools & tricks

  1. Double tubes128
  2. Water, leaves, & sand130
  3. Sparklers & fireworks132
  4. Working solo136
  5. Other tools138
  6. Light-painting square140
07

Advanced capture techniques

  1. Dual cameras144
  2. Timelapse & multiple exposures146
  3. Filming your sessions148
08

Post-processing

  1. Editing essentials152
  2. Black canvas154
  3. Blue hour156
  4. Star trails158
  5. Milky Way160
FAQ 164Reference toolkit 166This is just the beginning 172Glossary 174Acknowledgements 176
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05 / The authorsPhotography & movement, together
Kim Henry and Eric Paré preparing equipment outdoors
Photographer & dance artist

Kim Henry
& Eric Paré

Henry and Paré began collaborating in Montreal in 2013 on LightSpin, a project combining dance, light painting, stop-motion, and bullet-time photography.

In 2015, they found a fluorescent tube guard in a San Francisco hardware store. They put a flashlight inside and tried it on the beach that night. That simple tool became the starting point for the outdoor practice presented in this book.

Kim brings her experience as a dance artist to the position and presence of the body; Eric works with the camera and the moving light. The photograph depends on how those choices meet the landscape.

Take the ideas that help you, experiment, and make the technique your own.

Kim's dance practice ↗Eric's photography ↗
06 / Store locatorBooksellers by region

Find a bookseller.

Choose your country or region below.
Paperback and ebook availability varies by retailer.

Other purchase options

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Book details

Outdoor Light-Painting Photography:
The Essential Field Guide

By
Kim Henry & Eric Paré
Publisher
Ilex Press
Format
176 pages / Paperback & ebook
Published
March 26, 2026 (UK)
April 28, 2026 (North America)
ISBN
9781840919257

Paint with love,
paint with light

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