DIYPhotography.net

We have shown screen doing 3D extrusion before using both iPads and iPhones, but this is the first time we are featuring a tutorial that uses a 30" monitor.

Photographer Zeke Adam (Flickr) agreed to share the secrets behind his non-existing man series, which basically light paints a non existing man. Duh... While Zeke uses high end software like 3D Studio Max and Cinema 4D, similar results can be achieved with free software (like Blender, which we featured before). Some of the steps are too complex to include in this tutorial, but we will refer you to the relevant places to learn or download shortcuts.

It's all Zeke from now. Click to continue ›

Anybody who does not like fire raise their hands. What no hands up? OK, I am not really surprised that the readers of this blog like fire.

In that case you'll be happy to learn that the guys over at Photo Extremist released a video guide [after the jump] on how to make steel wool light painting. We sued to do lots of those in the boy scouts at the end of year fire display. We did not even used the whisk, just put some metal wire around the steel wool.

When you go out and do this, make sure you protect both yourself (goggles, gloves, long sleeves) and the surrounding (fire extinguisher, no dry leafs and so on). Those sparks seem small but they are nasty. Click to continue ›

Looks like LED light sabers for light painting capture that interesting Venn Diagram intersection between photography and hackering.

After featuring Lightscythe - a light painting LED wand that can be loaded wireless comes another detailed tutorial from Michael Ross, which may be more suitable for the beginner Arduino. photographer.

The wand is build on the Arduino platform and can be loaded with still images that are shown as the wand is swayed from side to side. The results are amazing. Click to continue ›

If you've been following the blog for a while you know that there are some neat iPad/iPhone apps that create spatial drawings, like Holographium or Aurora Bulb for Android. 

Wulfrano Moreno shares on how he achieved a similar project using Peggy, an Arduino-based LED PegBoard.

Taking the photograph above required a combination of several skills: A bit of electricity engineering, some open source enthusiasm and a bit of light painting know how.

This image evolved as I started experimenting with light painting.  At first I started creating some shots using the typical DIY “orb tool”. As I got more drawn to the subject I came across an amazing video of some guys light-painting using an iPad. Click to continue ›

Gavin from Sydney (Flickr user Mechatronics) came up with this amazing application for programmable LED strips.

Using an small Arduino to control 2m programmable LED strip inside an acrylic tube he created the ultimate light painting saber. Gavin uses the Arduino and a Xbee wireless set to send images and text that appear as light painting when he swipes the saber at long exposure.

The applications are endless, as the set of images below suggests. Spesifically, I am waiting for the light painting marriage proposal.

Here comes the cool bit, the entire build tutorial can be found on Gavin's site here. Click to continue ›

See that nice aura on the picture to the left? No... it was not taken using the new generation of psychic point and shoot, not is it the result of using high def video capture.

This image was made using long exposure light paint and a simple accessory. (If you have no clue what light painting is, click here for DIYP's entire folder of  light painting tutorials)

In this short and sweet tutorial, Renard Nicolas is going to explain how to achieve this effect. Click to continue ›

Here’s a light painting trick you can do on the cheap that yields a neat result. And besides...Who doesn’t want to look like a super hero?

If you aren’t familiar with Light Painting, check out the light painting primer or the tools of the trade posts here on the blog.

If you are familiar with Light Painting, you'll be surprised at how easy it is to pull an image with this technique.

Start by picking up a few of these electric glow sticks. You can find them in the outdoors section in department stores, or on Amazon right here. Click to continue ›

We all love a good camera toss. Yes we do. What we don't love is broken cameras. On the floor crushed to smithereens.

You can avoid the crush in several ways. My favorite being an hydraulic system pistons with two shock absorbing cushions on each direction. Of course that system is not invented yet, and even if it was, it would probably cost a small fortune. You know hydraulic pistons are sooooo expensive.

Lucky flickr user Robert Couse came up with a cheaper alternative. I, of course, strongly recommends against using it, unless you have an old canon lying around ;)

Enter Gaffers tape, cardboard and an inflatable device. The image is self explanatory. Click to continue ›

Photographer and Light Painter Wilhelm Wolcott painted this old Chevy as ghost with the hood half open-half closed.

He shares how he got that look: Click to continue ›

Spirals, I could talk for hours on end about what they are, their geometrical qualities, or the fact that earth will die without their existence.

But that would be long and boring. Instead, I am going to describe is how to make them. Photographically, that is.

If you thought that light painting is fun, wait to discover, light painting and geometry, it's even more fun! Click to continue ›