Denis Smith: Light Painting Master | Get The Shot Ep. 8

Join host Joe Orchard as he chats with Denis Smith, the acclaimed light painting artist and Tamron Australia user. In this episode, Denis demystifies his incredible in-camera light sculptures, including his signature “ball of light” work, all captured in a single, unedited exposure. Discover how this unique blend of art and technical skill became a powerful catalyst for his journey towards mental health and healing.

Watch the full episode here:

Episode Overview: The Healing Power of Authentic Light Art

Denis Smith, the Master of Light Painting, shares his profound journey from a stressful corporate role to a passionate artist. He emphasises the skill of capturing his images in one exposure to ensure authenticity and mastery in the digital age. The episode delves into the origins of his ethereal “ball of light” series and his commitment to sharing his techniques, a pursuit that personally helped him heal from a nervous breakdown and is now integrated into his forthcoming career as an art therapy counsellor.

Light Painting Techniques and The One-Exposure Philosophy

Light painting is a unique photography genre built on the concept of long exposure where the artist uses light sources as a tool within the scene itself. Denis discusses the fundamental ways he uses light to create his art.

• Light as a Brush: The best way to understand the technique is to think of the dark as the canvas and the light source as a brush; the artist moves the light through the scene to capture a light trail [02:01].
• Moving Light Trail: The first fundamental involves moving light through a scene during a long exposure to create work by capturing the trail of that light [02:06].
• Scene Illumination: The other way is using a light source to actively illuminate a dark subject, such as a landscape, bringing it into the image during the exposure [02:21].
• Long Exposure Timelines: Denis’s average exposure is lengthy, often ranging from three to five minutes, with the light spinning element lasting about 60 seconds [15:27].

The one-exposure rule is a core philosophy for Denis, serving as a powerful counterpoint to modern digital art and guaranteeing the authenticity of his light painting mastery.

• The Real Skill: Denis insists that the real skill is capturing the entire image in a single, continuous one exposure—looking at the finished light painting immediately on the back of the camera [03:29].
• Authenticity vs. Photoshop: The one-exposure rule is paramount; capturing in one exposure assures the art is real and not a blend of multiple images in Photoshop [04:12].
• Bulb Mode Access: Anyone with a camera that can do bulb mode can immediately go out and be a light painter, highlighting the accessibility of the skill [04:19].
• Patience and Experience: True patience comes from accepting that some nights you will make 30-40 images and come back with nothing, emphasising the importance of the experience over the final result [16:48].

The Iconic Light Orb and Performance Art

The iconic “ball of light” or orb is Denis’s most globally recognised work, an idea that was born out of collective experimentation in online photography communities.

• Flickr Discovery: Denis discovered the orb while browsing the light painting groups on Flickr, which he describes as the “wild west of photography” at the time [05:24].
• Landscape Innovation: His unique twist was taking the orb out into the landscape under a full moon for a long exposure, which was the key to making the work stand out [06:23].
• Full Moon Illusion: Shooting under a full moon creates images that look like daylight, confusing the mind because the presence of the ethereal light orb suggests it must be a trick [06:36].
• Performance Element: Creating his liquid light work in a freezing cold ice melt river at the BFOP festival was an instance of performance art, with the audience fascinated by the process itself [17:47].

For Denis, the most important work he creates is rooted not in its technical perfection, but in the story and personal experience tied to the moment of capture.

• The Story Matters: His most precious images are special because of the story behind them: the journey, who he was with, or the ridiculous journey to get there [10:09].
• Meditative Focus: The rhythmic act of spinning the light during the exposure, which he sometimes sees as wrapping himself in a protective shield, is a deeply focused, meditative process [11:12].
• Emotive Goal: The ultimate goal for his art is to make work that is emotive and tries to make someone feel something, whether it’s the viewer or himself [18:55].
• Process Over Product: He notes that people are often more fascinated by the process of the light painter moving around in the scene than the final image itself [18:24].

Accessibility, Gear, and the Joy of Sharing

Denis is a passionate advocate for sharing his knowledge, believing that the joy of light painting should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their budget for equipment.

• Teaching the Secret: He created a very popular YouTube tutorial on how to make the ball of light, despite it being his “secret” and trademark technique [07:25].
• Spreading the Joy: Denis’s teaching is motivated by the “complete and utter joy” he experiences when light painting, a feeling he wants every person to have [08:00].
• Workshops: He has taught workshops for thousands of people, witnessing the immense energy and fulfilment they get from making their own light painting images [08:16].
• No Fancy Gear: He stresses that you don’t need a fancy camera or fancy gear to get started; the most important thing is the willingness to have a go [08:49].

Denis’s practical advice proves that resourceful creativity trumps expensive equipment, demonstrating that world-class art can be created with common, household items.

• DIY Light Tools: He shows how to make a complete light painting image with just a glass bottle, a $3 torch from Bunnings, and some duct tape [09:02].
• Budget Orb: He details how to make a ball of light tool using approximately $5 worth of basic Christmas lights [09:10].
• Skills Transfer: His ability to teach stems from years in sales and running businesses, which gave him the communication skills and confidence necessary to address large groups [21:02].
• Sharing Techniques: The primary purpose of sharing is to instil confidence and give out information about all his techniques [09:28].

Mental Health, Business, and The Future of Art

Denis’s discovery of photography was a life-altering event, serving as a direct pathway to healing following a crisis, solidifying his belief in the therapeutic power of the creative process.

• Healing Pathway: Following a serious nervous breakdown in 2008, picking up his first Canon 450D camera and discovering the rhythmic process of art became his pathway to healing [12:37].
• Stopping Alcohol: The discipline required for night shoots was the direct catalyst for him to stop drinking alcohol overnight, 15 years ago [13:15].
• Art Therapy Future: He is currently studying to become a qualified counsellor and is launching an art therapy practise using photography to achieve positive mental health outcomes [31:05].
• Flow State: He genuinely believes all creative pursuits are positive for mental health when you get into a state of flow and make a consistent practise of it [13:44].

Denis is brutally honest about the business side of the creative industry and the need for creatives to evolve beyond technical skill to survive the challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

• Creative Business Nightmare: He describes running a business around anything creative as a “nightmare” because the artist and the entrepreneur mindsets are not automatically cohesive [22:50].
• Survival Against AI: He believes the key to surviving the onset of AI is for creatives to ramp up skills that have nothing to do with making an image [26:03].
• The Human Solution: What will save professionals is being an incredible human who is good at communication and delivers solutions to clients [26:09].
• Unreplaceable Connection: AI will never replace the profound connection, energy, and power that can exist between two humans [29:36].

I believe that AI will never replace the connection, the energy, the power that can exist between two humans.

– Denis Smith