Erin Simmons
Light Painting Brushes Brand Ambassador Erin Simmons has been creating his Light Painting work for since 2015. Erin shoots a variety of subjects but finds he is most comfortable shooting out in nature. He calls Light Painting "Analog Photoshop" and loves to explore different Light Painting Techniques that he can add to his "Book of Magic"! Check out the full interview and some of Erin's Light Paintings below!
What is your name?
Erin Simmons
How long have you been light painting?
Since 2015
What is your favorite part about the Light Painting Art Form?
Thats a tough one, between the feeling of magic you get after seeing the results of an image you just created or know the fact that you make art with use of LIGHT as your medium! Or the endless possibilities you can approach the creation of a light painting! I like to think of it as “analog photoshop”
What are your favorite type of light paintings to create and why?
Well I love experimenting and trying just about all types of Light Painting. When I see a Light Painting technique or style that hits me, I immediately want to attempt it myself. I do this for a few reasons. One, to figure out how its done and to test my abilities on the matter, allowing me to add it to what I call, “my book of magic”. The next reason I like to attempt it is so I can then ask my self “what can I do to make this nearly entirely different?” as well as how can I incorporate this into my style of lightpainting. But if I had to choose one type Id say I’ve my “Spirographs with a twist” might be one of my favorite types of light painting to do.
What is your favorite environment to shoot in?
It really depends on what kind of light painting I’m looking to do. When it comes to abstract, I love working indoors where I have completely control of my environment and collection of tools. But I grew up surrounded by nature so shooting outside in the woods or on the beach might be where I am happiest.
What is your favorite Light Painting you have ever created with the Light Painting Brushes?
Of course that’s a tough one, but the most sentimental Light Painting I’ve ever created would be Light Man of the woods. Im not going to get into to much detail with the story but it represents the time that I spent with my last dog. For that picture I used Light Painting Brushes green and white color hoods, green opaque light writer, and black fiber optic.
What is your favorite Light Painting Brushes attachment?
I think my favorite Light Painting Brushes tool would be the Black Fiber Optic.
What or who inspires you and your light painting work?
While I could name a few Light Painting artist that inspire me, the truth is I think my inspiration comes from the things I see and experience on a daily basis so as to who or what does it for me is kinda difficult because its constantly changing! Besides life its self, I think the Light Painting community as whole is ALWAYS inspiring me and my work even if I don’t go creating something along the lines of what actually inspired me to go paint that night.
What is one piece of advice for someone who is just starting out Light Painting?
One piece of advice I give to people who are just starting but also remind myself of ALL the time is that if you get stuck on a certain concept for a Light Painting that you just can’t seem to get down the way you want, put it on the side burner and try something different. Its easy to spend your whole night trying to perfect a shot but the end result might be you weren’t happy with any of them! So what I like to do when that starts to happen is just switch up gears and try something completely different and likely unrelated. I find you end up with a variety pieces you're happy with rather then one you're happy with and a whole bunch of similar pieces that you may not even really like all that much.
Where can people see more of your light painting work?
You can find my work and info on my Website but if you want to really dive into the history of my Light Painting journey or see what I’m currently doing you can follow me on Instagram