ABSTRACT
Painting-with-light is the application of light onto a subject and is very similar to painting a fence with a brush. Instead of using a paintbrush, the photographer uses a light source. The types of lighting available are innumerable. Illumination can be added to a composition with electronic flashes, flashlights, alternate light sources (ALS or Polylight), or anything that emits visible radiation. The photographer simply must imagine the subject as an artist’s canvas and determine the best way in which to cover that canvas with paint (light). Similar to painting a fence, two coats of paint are typically better than one. The greatest aspect of painting-with-light is its broad application to crime scene photography. A photographer can use painting-with-light techniques for the overall composition of a crime scene or for just a small, individual piece of evidence.
