How to Light Paint Under the Bright City Lights
Jun 24, 2025
I recently received an email from James, who asked how I managed to create my Angels light painting series in such brightly lit cityscapes. I thought I’d break it down in detail with some examples in this blog post—hopefully it helps anyone else wondering the same thing.
To quote James’s question:
“Hey Darren, I’ve been looking at your angel pieces done in city settings—super clean stuff. Just wondering how you managed to get such solid results with all the background light. Do you use ND filters or just stop the aperture way down? Do you try to finish the light painting quickly to limit how much the ambient light builds up? And how bright are the lights you’re using for the drawings? Also, how much do you handle in post? Do you blend exposures or is it mostly straight out of camera? Would be cool to hear how you approach this if you don’t mind sharing. Trying to figure out how to make things work better in my area—way too many lampposts.”
First off, thanks James!
It’s a great question. I struggled at first—overexposed quite a few shots—before dialing in the right settings. All of the final images are straight out of camera (SOOC) and not composites. And yes, I definitely relate to the challenge of "too many dang lampposts!"
About the Collection
The Angels series was mostly captured in 2013 as an experiment to see how bright the ambient environment could be while still allowing for effective light painting. I shot all around Los Angeles, California. The big question was: Would it even be possible?
Camera Settings & Tools
I started with test shots using the smallest aperture (f/22) and the lowest ISO (usually ISO 50). I didn’t use any ND filters for this collection, though in hindsight a graduated ND filter might have helped in scenes with strong contrast between light and shadow.
For all the angel figures, I used a very bright, directional LED light. In some cases (like in the image below) I covered ground lights with cardboard or gaffer's tape to reduce spill and control exposure.
Most images were shot at f/16–f/22. At that aperture, the LED light appeared as a small, crisp dot, which allowed for a sculptural look. When I spun the light around as if shaping it on an imaginary pottery wheel, it created a 3D-printed effect from head to toe, only branching out for the arms and legs. I aimed the light directly at the lens, so I had to be intentional with how I lit the base of each figure to ensure the lines actually registered in the final image.
Special Techniques
One interesting technique I experimented with was using vintage lenses with manual aperture control. I shot most of these on a Canon 6D with a Nikon-to-Canon lens adapter and old 24mm and 35mm Nikkor lenses. This setup allowed me to start the exposure at f/22 (ideal for light painting), and then quickly adjust the aperture to f/5.6 near the end of the shot—just for a few seconds—to brighten the foreground or environment once I was out of frame.
Editing
Some basic post-processing helped bring balance to the RAW captures. I adjusted highlights and shadows in Lightroom, and then used Photoshop’s burn tool (set to affect highlights or midtones only) to selectively tone down overexposed areas. I also used it to better separate the light painting from background lighting. That said, these adjustments were subtle, I tried to keep the edits looking natural.
What I Learned
A major takeaway was to seek out shadows in the scene. Many images were shot under archways, in the middle of streets where overhead lights taper off, or in corner pockets where direct lighting was minimal. Painting in shadowed areas provided better contrast between the light painting and the surrounding environment.
In Conclusion
If I were to do a project like this again, here’s what I’d focus on:
- Look for darker sections of the cityscape.
- Use the smallest aperture your lens allows (f/16–f/22).
- Keep ISO as low as possible (ideally ISO 50–200).
- Use a bright, directional LED.
- Keep your exposure time to around a minute or less.
I hope this breakdown helps with your own light painting in city environments! Feel free to comment below if you have more questions about shooting in brightly lit areas—or in any other setting.
