Monthly Archives: May 2012

Painting With Light Technique

Painting with light is one technique I really enjoy experimenting with. I think I like it so much because I never know exactly what I am going to get. There is definitely a surprise element when you try the technique of painting with light. If you have been following my post, I’m sure you’ve noticed I am always searching for the unusual and like to experiment.

I have been doing some research on the Painting with Light technique and wanted to share my findings and first efforts. The image below was taken in a harbor on Sarasota Bay with the Ringling Bridge in the background on the right.  The mechanics of the process is to place the camera on a tripod and using a slow shutter speed rotate the camera either left and right or up and down. For the image above, I obviously rotated the camera laterally.  The exposure was 1 second at f/22; ISO 100. I was shooting at sunset, which required me to really stop down the aperture. I was wishing my ISO would go to 50, but no such luck just yet with most digital cameras. There is definitely some experimentation required with the shutter speed and this process can be done with speeds as fast as 1/15 of a second. As always, lighting rules and shoot many frames.

“Ringling Bridge” Painting with Light

paint with light technique

Abstract of Ringling Bridge and Sarasota Bay.

View more of my work at www.susanmcanany.com.

Thanks for reading!


Andy Warhol and More

An Andy Warhol exhibit was part of a recent exciting and exhausting trip to St. Louis, Mo, my hometown. There is something about returning to my place of birth and growth as a youngster that tends to ground me and bring me back to how I came to be who I am.  This trip I brought my one and only main squeeze with me. We are thinking about relo-ing there, at least on a part time basis, and I wanted him to get a better feel for the city and the surrounding areas. Also, we are beginning a big birthday celebration and wanted to take in a Cubs-Cardinals  baseball game. (Cubs won so he was happy.) And then of course we spent considerable time with family, which is a part of the grounding process. I am fortunate I come from a big family and we all get along, despite our differences.

Although I didn’t take any photos while I was there, we did manage to squeeze in a trip to an art museum associated with St. Louis University for a little inspiration.  An exhibit of Andy Warhol’s Polaroids were the initially attraction, but in reality the other exhibits were somewhat more impressive. One artist that struck me was, Brother Mel Meyer, a Marianist monk. Now Brother Mel apparently is quite known in St Louis. For 60 years he has been studying and making art in a variety of mediums along with period of  teaching in his earlier years. He is known for his watercolors, acrylics and stain glass to name a few mediums, but what really excited me was Brother Mel’s metal sculptures. He incorporates many unique components, shapes and shades of color  to create captivating and intriguing works of art.  I will have to visit his studio next time in St. Louis.  Here is a link to his website.

Visit my website Susan McAnany Photography to view my work.

Creative Thought

Often for me a creative thought can be spun by words of another and provide guidelines for expanding my creative boundaries.

“Strive for the moment of recognition that there is something else going on – that both attention and inattention is required to fully experience a piece — is often what gives artwork its impact …..”

Karen Irvine, Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago