How to create beautiful light-colored photos with luminous hula hoop

You can use transparent hula hoops with flashlights of different colors and patterns to create beautiful effects! Next, I will show you how to use the luminous hula hoop to create beautiful light-painted photos. Let's have a look!

Choose a good location

The first step in shooting is to choose a good location. You usually need an interesting or conflicting background to match the light painting equipment we choose to use. In the FutureHoop series, we decided to take the Massey Monument on Mount Wellington in New Zealand as our shooting location, which was built in memory of a New Zealand Prime Minister. I knew from the beginning that this would be an ideal shooting place, because the shape and columns of the whole monument can provide us with a very dramatic background. Besides, there is enough room for Tess to move and dance with a hula hoop without restraint. Remember, you can't just take the location for granted, you must consider the feasibility of shooting. For example, the beach is usually an ideal place for lighting painting, but before shooting, you need to make sure that your model can move safely on it, especially in the dark. Rocks or ropes on the beach are likely to make the model fall, or even fall into the sea.

Choose a good model.

Another core element of light painting is the model, so it is also important to choose the appropriate model. Tess is a professional actress. It can be said that I couldn't have taken these photos without her help. In order to present the best effect, Tess even specially prepared suitable clothes, including a bra that can shine. On the other hand, her professionalism also means that she can pose more professionally. Look at the curve of her waist, where her feet are and how her left toes are placed. You can even find her luminous bra.

In addition, Tess will conceive her own movements according to FutureHoop, and consider how to move to take better photos. This allows us to devote all our energy to shooting, instead of spending our energy on designing actions. It doesn't matter if your model is not as professional as Tess. What you need to do is to make your model practice more and get ready for repeated shooting. You know, many times the results of the first shooting are not satisfactory to us. In the process of shooting, we need to see where the photos are good and where there is room for improvement through the camera's LCD. Then communicate the improved opinions to the models, and then let them do it again until they get their own satisfactory results.

About the choice of shooting time

Remember to choose the right shooting time before shooting. Generally speaking, the best time for light painting is at dusk, which is already dark enough, but there are still some lights that can illuminate the background of the picture and keep the color of the sky. However, there are some difficulties in shooting at dusk. For example, the light changes quickly at this time, so we need to pay attention to adjusting the exposure settings at all times. When the ambient light begins to dim, we need to adjust the brightness ratio between the hula hoop and the background.

Shooting skills and camera settings

Be sure to use the right technology when shooting. Since you need to slow down the shutter speed to shoot light paintings, a stable tripod and cable release are essential. When I took these photos, I used the shutter speed of 2s and 4s. Depending on your model and the actual moving speed of the equipment used, you may need to use a longer shutter speed. Tess moves very fast, so a faster shutter speed will suit us.