Welcome! Thank you for joining Friends at Art in the Park in the Dark! Coachella Valley’s dark skies are perfect for this kind of activity.

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Above is a sample of what we did — and here is how we did it:

To paint with light using a 35mm/digital camera: in the darkest space possible, use a tripod-mounted camera in manual mode with a slow shutter speed [or bulb setting], manual focus, and a low ISO. During the long exposure, move a light source to “paint” your subject or the scene, creating a variety of effects as you move it around to add or reveal textures, light, and shapes.

To paint with light on an iPhone: in the darkest space possible, you need a tripod and a long-exposure app like Slow Shutter Cam or Night Cap Pro, then set your phone to a “light trails” or “bulb” mode with the lowest ISO possible. TIP: Turn your Auto-Lock off: Go to ‘Settings’, select ‘General’, select ‘Auto-Lock’ – switch to ‘Never’.

If you are photographing people/animals: the subject should stay still during the entire length of the exposure, and perhaps have a small light source in front of them if you wish to see their features.

Best place to do it? Get out of the city and into your nearby National Conservation Lands! Try visiting Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, Sand to Snow National Monument, or Chuckwalla National Monument and you’ll be under dark skies in no time!

Here are the images from Art in the Park in the Dark put on by Shann Carr in Palm Springs Demuth Park on Saturday, November 29th