I am leaving soon for back to back Costa Rica Photo Tours. I had to remember to bring a powerful flashlight to light paint the nocturnal Red-eyed Treefrogs we will be photographing. A flashlight? Light paint? Huh… why not flash? We do not use flash because it is thought that repeated exposure to flash can actually burn the delicate skin of these frogs. So this image was created by light painting them with a flashlight.
When using this technique the shot is framed with my camera on a tripod and then everything is locked down tight. I then open the shutter to begin the 10 second exposure and begin to paint the frogs with the flashlight slowly moving it back and forth. Hoping the whole time that they do not move and ruin the exposure. Once done I use the histogram to confirm a proper exposure. I then look at the image on the back of the camera to confirm nothing moved and the image is sharp.
Good Luck and Good Light!
Steve
Image: Mated Red-eyed Treefrogs, Costa Rica
Nikon D4S, 200mm Macro, 10 seconds @ f22 ISO 200