Light drawing is one of the most exciting discoveries of my life. It not only shaped my approach to game and graphic design but also pushed me to explore new creative experiments, including astrophotography and solargraphy.
How It All Started
Like many curious kids, I was always drawn to experiments. So when I got my first digital camera, a Canon PowerShot A540, I couldn’t resist testing its limits.As with many great discoveries, this one happened by accident. One night, while taking a break from brainstorming my next Flash game (yes, it was 2007), I started playing with my camera settings. Lying on the floor, I casually snapped a photo—and to my surprise, I captured a glowing, smudged shot of my PC’s indicator lights. That moment sparked my obsession with light drawing.
From Accidental Shots to Game Design
After that first blurred photo, I began experimenting with different light sources. The glowing trails inspired me to create a set of game characters — Electro-Mushi, strange black bugs with oversized eyes that shot electric bolts. One of them, Sumof, was even recognized by Yandex Games, which was a big milestone for me.
To improve my technique, I used anything I could find at home. One of my best discoveries was the flashlight on my old Nokia 5140. Its deep-set LED, covered by a red rubber case, produced unique yellow-orange streaks with a reddish glow. This series of photos was later featured in a Pikabu.ru compilation of FreezeLight photography.
Exploring the Night Sky
As I mastered light drawing, I turned my camera to the stars. Using long exposure techniques, I started capturing meteor showers like the Leonids and Quadrantids. Watching streaks of light carve through the night sky was mesmerizing, and it became my first step into astrophotography.One of my most memorable experiments was a nighttime photoshoot in the forest using an LED light stick. The glowing trails against the dark trees created a surreal, almost sci-fi atmosphere—one of my favorite light-drawing moments.
What’s Next? Solargraphy and Future Experiments
Light painting has evolved dramatically over the years. Now, people use drones, custom LED rigs, and even animated screens to create ghostly figures in motion. One experiment I still want to try is using an animated screen to create floating “ghosts” in a room.Recently, I’ve been exploring solargraphy — a long-term camera obscura technique that tracks the movement of the sun over months. Since I live near a forest, I have the perfect setting to place pinhole cameras and capture the sun’s path across the sky.
From a random blurry shot to capturing celestial movements, my journey with light has been an unexpected adventure. And with so many new techniques to explore, I know the best is yet to come.
