Lens Swap Light Painting Tutorial

If you are not familiar with the Light Painting technique of a Lens Swap you are missing out on something pretty awesome that can twist and transform perspective to make some mind bending SOOC Light Paintings! For this article I interviewed some of the best Lens Swappers in the business James De Luna, Jeremy Jackson, Jake Saari, Martin Barras, and Tim Gamble. Each of them were kind enough to share tips, advice, and even walk us through some of their favorite Len Swap images that they have created! Read on…

(Note these answers are an abbreviated and combined version of the answers given by the Light Painting Artist listed above. At the bottom of the page you can read the full interview answers from each Light Painter)

LPP ∇ What is a Lens Swap?
A lens swap is a Light Painting technique of using more than one lens during a single exposure. Swapping lenses gives you the ability to change focal length to shrink or enlarge various objects during one opening of the camera shutter.

LPP ∇ How can is be utilized in Light Painting Photography?
It can be utilized however your imagination sees fit. Lens Swaps allow you to layer certain elements onto your composition, an effect usually only seen in photoshop work. Lens swapping is a great way to mess around and play with the POV and DOF in a shot, you can really mess with people’s minds!

LPP ∇ When is it best to use a Lens Swap?
Anytime is good, it’s a fun thing to do! If one element of the shot requires extreme close-up/macro and the other a wide field of view then it’s time to get swapping.I like to use this technique when I’m well suited to invest some extra effort into the shot. It’s great for playing with scale or juxtaposing objects or highlighting certain aspects in a creative way.

LPP ∇ What is the most difficult part of doing a Lens Swap?
Changing a lens over in complete darkness can be a pain, You need good spatial awareness and four sets of hands but with planning and practice it becomes easier. Another difficult part is keeping the camera steady during lens capping/uncapping or lens swapping. Lining up the frames can also prove tricky also starting with lit, moving objects like the moon you have to be quick if you don’t want a flared blur with no detail at all.

LPP ∇ The technique is similar to doing an in camera double exposure, a.k.a. Lens Cap, do
you have any advice to help to keep the elements in a scene lined up?

Two tripods rather than one or if only one available, marking spots on the ground where each tripod leg is supposed to sit. Glow in the dark markers on the floor are very useful especially when working alone. Select the grid overlay for live view with the most squares from your camera’s menu and make a mental note of where each element needs to be using this grid.

LPP ∇ Can you do a lens swap with any lens and camera or do you need to have special gear?
Any camera with a removable lens should work. If your camera has the ability to shoot in bulb mode and you have more than one lens (or a lens with a reversing ring) you can swap away. Old manual aperture and focus lenses work best. Obviously, you’re taking a risk when you try to swap lenses while your camera is in the middle of an exposure but without risk, there can be no reward.

LPP ∇ What advice would you give for other Light Painters wanting to give it a try?
Just give it a go, the more you practice the quicker and more confident you will become. Lens Swaps open up a whole different way of thinking about perspective and the relation between the visual elements of the world.

For the images below I asked each artist to pick one of their favorite Lens Swaps and walk us through how they made it. Continue on to learn how these incredible images below were created!

James De Luna:
I’m not sure I have a favourite swap … but the three or more lens swaps are the ones I’m most proud of I guess and I love this image from my fairy tales series.

I began by setting up the tripods one for each lens .. starting with the moon in my 70mm refracting telescope, I opened the shutter and immediately capped the scope. I then swapped the lens to a capped 50mm Nikon pointed at my fairy stencils on their clear film suspended by garden canes. I shone lights through them and waved my rainbow light painting brush around each fairy then capped the lens. I then swapped the lens to my 8mm Samyang which had a nice view of a large monument and nearby tree, uncapped that lens, lit the landscape with my torch then changed the aperture at intervals to get a comet effect to my stars. Finally I closed the shutter.

Jeremy Jackson:
One exposure painted at two locations via the lens cap trick. Canon t1i, ISO 100, 19 minutes. I started this time with my Nikkor 50mm pointed across the pond at f/8, painted the flowers using an umbrella, monkeylight, RGB strip, and flashlight cones then capped the lens. I then carried the camera to a marked spot in the woods, switched lenses to a Rokinon 14mm at f/8, uncapped it, and lit the trees with gels.

Jake Saari:
The last time I took a photo like this was in September.  I was intent on taking this type of photo as I was preparing for the evening, and as I explored the area I kept a lookout for a scene that would complement the subject.  When I found this framed structure I knew it could work.  I have an idea of what the subject will look like, so I started composing the background and experimenting with the angles, colors, and intensity of the light on it.  I may have spent a couple hours on this part as there are so many variables to work out.  I put a blur filter over the lens and used some blue light in the center and red around it.  Taking the blur filter off, I filled it in with white to get the true details of the scene.  Finally, the composition is ready to accept the subject.  Here is where I changed to the other lens to shoot the subject.  It is critical to keep the tripod stable and the focus set.  The lens used for the background was my 24mm.  I make sure to set it down specifically so when I pick it up the rear lens cap is easy to come off and mount to the camera.  I used a bean bag to shoot the subject.  I framed the light source to where I thought it should line up and adjusted it after some tests.  There was a lot of going back to the background shot to imagine how it will work.  At this point I get a little nervous about attempting to combine everything into the real shot.  There is a lot to remember about the angles and intensities and orders of operation. Once I got my mind sorted, I started the shot.  After the subject is exposed, I swapped to the 24mm lens and got the camera to the tripod safely and the settings were readjusted.  After about 10 minutes I was ready to end the exposure.  I was pretty happy the result because there were so many details to work out for this shot.

Martin Barras:
I like them all really, but I’ll run you through a more recent one…..
Firstly I framed up the PCB using a reversed 50mm lens to create a really shallow macro DOF on the board, took a note of the position of the board and lens setting I then framed up another tripod facing my iPad, again noting the settings on the lens and position of the part I was going to expose from the iPad. I then finally I set another tripod up in my hallway to capture the jumping man part of the shot, again noting the setting of the lens. I then I started the shot, lighting the printed circuit board with a small torch with a coloured gel, cap on and removed the camera from the tripod, took the reversed 50mm off, and on with the sigma 18-35mm with the lens cap still on, on to the second tripod and I then adjusted the lens settings to what I had written down previously , lens cap off and exposed the iPad for a couple of seconds, Lens cap back on and off tripod two . on to tripod three with the Samyang 8mm, adjusted the setting on the lens to what I had noted before and moved into position and did the jump finally returning to the camera to replace the lens cap and finish the exposure.

Tim Gamble:
The night before this shot I was photographing oil on water and really liked the results but it was lacking something.  Lens swap  and camera rotation to the rescue.

Framed and focused on camera rotation part (the middle) noting focus and focal length using the Tamron 17-50mm next moved the camera to tripod 2 and framed and focused for the oil on water using the same lens but back-to-front using the reversing ring for the macro element.  I cut a minute disk of black card and floated it on the oil and water and positioned it in the middle of the frame.  This creates dead space which will be filled in later. Lights off and opened the shutter.  Lit the oil and water which was sat on some rainbow paper with my torch and took off the lens and turned it round as quickly as possible and removed the reversing ring before replacing the lens cap.  Moved to tripod two and mounted the camera on the my camera rotation tool.  Changed focus and length and took off the lens cap.  The middle part is bent coloured Perspex lit with a snooted flash on lowest power.  One pop of flash for every 45 degrees of camera rotation until I arrive back where I began.  

Full Interview Question and Answers Below:

LPP ∇ What is a Lens Swap?

MB ∇ A lens swap it a process whereas you start shooting the exposure with one lens attached, and swap to another during the same exposure

TG ∇ To swap the lens during a long exposure in complete darkness during a long exposure.

JD ∇ Lens swap light paintings are light painted photographs where the camera has been attached to two or more lenses of different focal lengths during one opening of the camera shutter.

JS ∇ This is a camera trick that uses more than one lens during a single exposure. It adds another plane of perspective and you can arrange various parts of the scene however you’d like.

JJ ∇ A lens swap is when you switch lenses during the course of one single long exposure to capture two separate compositions into one photographic frame. While the same trick can be done by using a lens cap between compositions, swapping lenses gives you the ability to change focal length to shrink or enlarge various objects.

LPP ∇ How can is be utilized in Light Painting Photography?

MB ∇ Lens swapping is a great way to mess around and play with the POV and DOF in a shot, you can really mess with people’s minds, as James does so well with his lost and alone series, whereas he lights a miniature version of himself into various household scenes

TG ∇ This technique can have many possible uses from a light painting perspective.

My main use for this technique is to be able to fill the frame with a small object at a longer focal length then change to a wider lens giving me more space to play with. For example if I want a pcb as the frame filling element I use my 50mm lens as I can get very close. If the next element is a dome rotation I will change to my Tokina @11mm as you can fit more domes in the frame giving a strange sense of perspective.

Another favourite trick of mine (learnt from Quornflake on a collab last year, thanks man) is to use a lens swap for a mid exposure aperture change. If you do not own a manual lens this comes in very handy if you are using light sources of varying strengths. If I wanted to photograph steel wool and el wire in the same shot I would struggle to expose both elements correctly without nd filters . One light source being very bright and the other very weak. For the wool you would set up one lens to expose at say F16. Frame and focus for that element and remove the lens ensuring you hold down the DOF preview button. Put the other lens on the body, frame and focus for the el wire and use an aperture of around F4. Fire the shutter and waft the el wire about, replace the lens cap and remove the first lens before quickly changing to the other. It must be pitch black for this as light can leak very easily onto the sensor thus blowing everything out. Lens cap off and spin the wool.

JD ∇ The difference in focal lengths firstly can provide an effect usually only seen in photoshop work … For example making a person appear extremely small or large next to everyday objects. You also gain the advantage of being able to set two or more focal points in a photo without actually moving the focus rings of the lenses used.

JS ∇ It allows you to layer certain elements onto your composition. Often, while composing photos there are parts of the scene that are distracting or in need of something more. Other times it just isn’t possible to frame things together the way you would like. With the lens swap you can get both the fine details and the entire scene all in one shot.

JJ ∇ It can be utilized however your imagination seems fit. I believe there are many different tricks that just haven’t been explored yet.

LPP ∇ When do you think it’s best to use a Lens Swap?

MB ∇ anytime is good, it’s a fun thing to do, try and just be creative with it, there is no hard and fast rules

TG ∇ When needs must really. If one element of the shot requires extreme close-up/macro and the other a wide field of view then it’s time to get swapping I wouldn’t do it all of the time as you always run the risk of either dropping one or the other lens fumbling around in the dark or blowing out the shot with unwanted light leaks.

JD ∇ Most of the time in my world.

JS ∇ I like to use this technique when I’m well suited to invest some extra effort into the shot. It’s great for playing with scale or juxtaposing objects or highlighting certain aspects in a creative way.

LPP ∇ What is the most difficult part of doing a lens swap?

MB ∇ Changing a lens over in complete darkness can be a pain, but persevere with it and it will get more natural, just be careful not to cross thread anything or damage the contacts on the lens whilst doing it…. if it doesn’t feel like it’s going on correctly don’t force it! Also Keeping light leak/spill to a minimum can be the big problem when you take to long to swap over the lens-the trick is to be quick with the change over, the quicker the better to stop this really being an issue

TG ∇ The act of swapping for me is the hardest part as it needs to be done blind as it is pitch black. You need good spatial awareness and four sets of hands but with planning and practise it becomes easier. Also use the bump on the barrel of the lens to feel your way to where the needs to be in lining up correctly with the camera.

JD ∇ For me, starting with lit, moving objects like the moon … you are the shutter here and you have to be quick if you don’t want a flared blur with no detail at all.

JJ ∇ The most difficult part is keeping the camera steady during lens capping/uncapping or lens swapping. Lining up the frames can also prove tricky but two tripods can solve this under most circumstances. A couple tips…. two tripods rather than one or if only one available, marking spots on the ground where each tripod leg is supposed to sit.

JS ∇ The hardest part is coming up with a good concept for the shot, but technically executing it comes with a lot of issues. You have to work out the image in reverse and juggle the details in the dark. You’ll surely want to avoid getting dust or debris onto the sensor while the mirror is up.

LPP ∇ The technique is similar to doing an in camera double exposure, a.k.a. Lens Cap, do you have any advice to help to keep the elements in a scene lined up?

MB ∇ Multiple tripods are very handy as well as noting the settings – focus etc. and placements of the elements when you working out the framing.

TG ∇ I find this element quite easy due to using my camera rotation tool in many of my light painting shots. I select the grid overlay for live view with the most squares from my camera’s menu and make a mental note of where each element needs to be using this grid. Two tripods with the same head set-up in predetermined spots comes in very handy also. Glow in the dark markers
on the floor are very useful especially when working alone.

JD ∇ I use as many tripods as I do lenses and marking the ground can help if something moving like a dog is going to be the subject.

LPP ∇ What camera and lens do you use when you for this technique?

MB ∇ The Camera I use is a Nikon D7100 but I have done them on my canon 550D too, and as for lenses, all of them really my Tokina 11-16mm, Samyang 8mm, Nikon 50mm and sigma 18-35mm.

TG ∇ Canon 650d, Tamron 17/50mm (sometimes using a reversing ring for macro) and my favourite Tokina 11/16mm.

JD ∇ I currently use a variety of Nikon fit lenses on a Sony A6000 body using an adapter. My favourites are my Samyang 8mm, my old Nikon 50mm, a reversed Nikon 35mm and my telescopes.

JS ∇ I mainly use a digital Pentax SLR with K mount lenses. The options are limited to what you can come up with. I like to play with perspective, so a photo shot with a telescope and a microscope would be on the extreme of that. Blending the elements together in an interesting way is the real trick. My personal favorite is a device I made that you can adjust the elements relative to each other and the sensor in combination with diffractive plates.

JJ ∇ I use a Canon Rebel and manual lenses. (Rokinon 8mm & 14mm, Nikkor 24mm & 50mm) But… I learned the lens cap trick from Dana Maltby and he always used his 18-55 auto kit lens which is difficult but can be done.

LPP ∇ Can you do a lens swap with any lens and camera or do you need to have special gear?

MB ∇ Any camera with a removable lens and a couple of lenses will work, I don’t know of any that it doesn’t work on as far as I’m aware.

TG ∇ I can see no reason why not. If your camera has the ability to shoot in bulb mode and you have more than one lens (or a lens with a reversing ring) you can swap away.

JD ∇ Any DSLR or SLR can be used … but the lenses matter. Old manual aperture and focus lenses are best, although I heard of others working .. best just to try.

JS ∇ It is best to use cameras with interchangeable lenses. Using a digital one allows you to see your test shots and make adjustments, so that’s what I use.

JJ ∇ I’m not sure what gear works and what gear doesn’t. Obviously, you’re taking a risk when you try to swap lenses while your camera is in the middle of an exposure but without risk, there can be no reward. If you’re into following the rules and meticulous with your equipment, this isn’t something you’ll even consider trying anyways.

LPP ∇ What advice would you give for other Light Painters wanting to give it a try?

MB ∇ Go for, it’s fun and a really good technique ….there are lots out there doing it now and that have previously swapped lenses before to check out to get you going for example James obviously , Jeremy Jackson, Dan Whittaker, Dave Astur, Manuel Paul and Led Eddie to name just a few.

TG ∇ As with all aspects of light painting just give it a go, the more you practise the quicker and more confident you will become. Its another tool in your arsenal to create something which will blow someone’s mind.

JD ∇ Go somewhere dark and interesting and take all your kids favourite toys ! You’ll have fun.

JS ∇ Definitely try it out because it opens up a whole different way of thinking about perspective and the relation between the visual elements of the world.

JJ ∇ Advice…. test smaller details before you go for the whole composition. That and plan to devote several hours to your one frame.

Thank you all for sharing these images and techniques! Be sure to check out more work from these creative geniuses on their webpages here: James De Luna, Jeremy Jackson, Jake Saari, Martin Barras, and Tim Gamble!