Imaging method and light painting imaging system

Abstract

To provide an imaging method which allows for high-level drawing by simplifying light painting imaging, and an imaging system.SOLUTION: The method comprises a step of reference image capturing which captures a reference image, a step of bulb imaging which acquires a light trail image by bulb-imaging a traveling light source, and a composition step which performs comparison lighten composition of the light trail image onto the reference image or a composite image generated by the steps. The step of bulb imaging and the composition step are repeated until a photographer designates completion.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This relates to a technology for capturing images created using light trails. [Background technology]

[0002] Light painting is a photographic technique that is used as an artistic expression method. By fixing the camera to a tripod or similar and taking long-exposure shots, you can create a light trail by moving a light source such as a penlight within the field of view. Therefore, by using light painting to draw letters or pictures on night view or starry sky photographs, you can create highly artistic, one-of-a-kind works.

[0003] Photos taken with light painting are difficult to reproduce and can enhance artistic quality, so they are attracting a lot of attention from artists and creators. However, light painting requires unique techniques and preparations to be captured, making it difficult to capture. Also, it is not possible to create complex images, so although it is popular among some creators, it has not yet become popular among the general public.

[0004] Taking note of the potential of light painting, a technology for simplifying light painting photography, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, comprises a photography device that takes video of a user and a light source and generates video data containing multiple frames, a light image generation unit that extracts pixels of a predetermined color or pixels with a brightness equal to or greater than a predetermined value from the multiple frames and synthesizes the multiple frames from which the pixels have been extracted to generate a light image showing the trajectory of the light source, and a synthesis unit that synthesizes a user image of the user taken by the photography device with the light image to generate a synthesized image, making it possible to easily perform light painting. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-175067 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the photography method disclosed in Patent Document 1, the background image is selected from images taken in advance by the user, and light painting is not performed at the actual shooting location, which reduces the artistic value of the work.If you want to write text or pictures on an image that has already been taken, there is no need to go to the trouble of using light painting; it is not much different from writing it in using image editing software.

[0007] The present invention has been made with an eye on the above-mentioned problems, and provides a photography method and a light painting photography system that can simplify the drawing work and enable complex drawing while performing light painting at the actual site where a background image is photographed, thereby producing a highly artistic work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a photography method that includes a reference image photographing step of photographing a reference image, a bulb photographing step of photographing a moving light source with bulb light to obtain a light trail image, and a compositing step of comparatively brightening and compositing the light trail image with the reference image or the composite image generated by this step, and that repeats the bulb photographing step and the compositing step until the photographer issues a command to end the process.

[0009] A second aspect of the present invention is a light painting photography system comprising an imaging device equipped with the photography method of the first aspect, a release switch that wirelessly instructs the imaging device to start and end bulb photography, and a light emitting device that emits light.

[0010] A third aspect of the present invention is a penlight for light painting photography, in which the release switch of the second aspect and a light emitting device are integrated together. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] Light painting photography can be easily done anywhere, making complex images possible. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] An example of a scene photographed using the light painting photography system of the present invention [Figure 2] An example of a penlight used in the light painting photography system of the present invention [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of the photographing control of the photographing method of the present invention. [Figure 4] An example of a reference image in the imaging method of the present invention [Figure 5] An example of the progression of a bulb-photographed image in the photographing method of the present invention [Figure 6] An example of the progression of a composite image in the photographing method of the present invention [Figure 7] An example of a composite image obtained by the photographing method of the present invention DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] <First embodiment: configuration> FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a scene photographed using the light painting photography method of the present invention. The light painting photography system of the present invention is composed of a camera 1 and a penlight 3, and the camera 1 is fixed to a tripod 2 or the like. The tripod 2 only needs to be able to fix the camera 1, and may be fixed by other fixing methods.

[0014] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a penlight in the light painting photography system of the present invention. The penlight 3 is composed of a light emitting unit 31, a grip 32, and a release switch 33.

[0015] <First embodiment: Overview>

[0016] The camera 1 is fixed to a tripod 2 and photographs are taken, but by moving the penlight 3, the light trail of the light-emitting part 31 of the penlight 3 is photographed. The photographer first stands behind camera 1 (opposite the shooting direction) and captures a reference image that will serve as the background. Then, the photographer stands in front of camera 1 and draws a light trail on the reference image by moving penlight 3 while pressing release switch 33. Camera 1 operates in bulb mode when drawing a light trail. In other words, camera 1 exposes only when release switch 33 is pressed. The photographer draws light trails while repeatedly taking bulb shots, and on Camera 1, the light trails drawn by the bulb shots are sequentially superimposed on the reference image.

[0017] <First embodiment: Camera configuration> The camera 1 captures a reference image (hereinafter referred to as a reference image) and a bulb-photographed image capturing a light trail, and generates a composite image. For this reason, the camera 1 can specify an exposure time of several seconds to capture a reference image at a long exposure time. The camera 1 also connects to an external release switch 33 via wireless communication, and bulb photography is performed by operating the switch.

[0018] Bulb photography is a photography method that allows the photographer to freely change the exposure time by operating the release switch 33. For example, the camera 1 may expose while the release switch 33 is pressed, or the camera 1 may start exposure when the release switch 33 is pressed once and end exposure when the switch is pressed a second time.

[0019] Furthermore, the camera 1 has an internal image processing function and can synthesize multiple captured images to generate a single composite image. The image synthesis performed by the image processing function is, for example, comparative lightening synthesis. Comparative brightening is a compositing method in which the brightness of a reference image and an image to be combined is compared pixel by pixel, and if the pixel in the image to be combined is brighter than the reference image, the pixel in question in the reference image is replaced with the pixel in the image to be combined. In addition to the above, various other image synthesis functions may be performed.

[0020] The camera 1 can take various forms. It may be a compact camera, a digital single-lens camera, a digital single-lens reflex camera, etc. In addition, the camera 1 also includes a smartphone equipped with a camera function.

[0021] <First embodiment: penlight> The penlight 3 is composed of a light emitting part 31 that emits light, a grip 32 that the photographer holds, and a release switch 33 that the photographer uses to instruct exposure.

[0022] The light emitting unit 31 may emit light in various colors. For example, the color may be specified by wirelessly communicating with a mobile device such as a smartphone and using an app installed on the mobile device. Furthermore, the light emitting unit 31 may emit light when the release switch 33 is pressed. The light emitting unit 31 may also flash.

[0023] When the photographer presses the release switch 33, it communicates with the camera 1 via wireless communication to notify the photographer that it has been pressed. The switch may be set to notify the photographer when it is pressed, or may be set to periodically notify the photographer whether the switch is pressed or not. When notifying that the button has been pressed, the first notification causes camera 1 to start exposure, and the second notification causes camera 1 to end exposure, achieving bulb photography. In addition, when notifying whether the button is pressed or not, the camera 1 starts exposure when it detects that the button is pressed, and ends exposure when it detects that the button is released, thereby realizing bulb photography.

[0024] <First embodiment: Tripod configuration> The tripod 2 is a component for fixing the camera 1 and is not essential. The camera 1 need not necessarily be mounted on a tripod, but may be fixed with a clip or the like. It may also be placed on a flat surface, as long as it can be fixed so that it does not move.

[0025] <First embodiment: Method for controlling photography> FIG. 3 is a flow diagram showing an example of the shooting control performed by the camera 1. This photographing control is started when, for example, the light painting photographing mode is selected in the camera 1. When photography starts, first, a reference image is photographed S1. For example, the reference image is captured by specifying an exposure time on the camera 1 for long exposure, starting exposure with the shutter release operation of the photographer, and capturing an image as the reference image after exposure for the specified time. Long exposure photography is a method of obtaining the correct exposure with an exposure time of a few seconds to a few minutes, and this method is used when taking light painting photographs, as light trails are drawn over a period of several seconds. The release operation may be performed by a release switch provided on the camera 1 or by a release switch 33 provided on the penlight 3. Shooting may be performed using bulb shooting without specifying an exposure time. Figure 4 is an example of a reference image, a starry sky image. A starry sky image is an image that captures stars and scenery in one frame, and is well suited to light painting photography.

[0026] Next, the camera 1 performs bulb photography S2. When bulb photography begins, the camera 1 waits for the photographer to operate the release switch 33. At this time, the photographing conditions related to the photographing brightness, such as the photographing sensitivity and aperture, are set to the same as the photographing conditions when the reference image was photographed. The camera 1 starts exposure when the photographer presses the release switch 33 . Since this is bulb photography, the camera 1 is exposed while the photographer is pressing the release switch 33. At this time, the photographer moves the penlight 33, and the light trail of the penlight 33 is captured in the photograph. Therefore, the image captured by bulb photography S2 will be referred to as a light trail image hereinafter. For bulb photography, a limiter may be set for the exposure time. The limiter stops the exposure at the limiter time, even if the photographer holds down the release button 33 beyond the limiter time. The exposure time limited by the limiter is the exposure time when the reference image is taken. This prevents areas other than the light trail of the penlight 3 from being brighter than the reference image, making it easier to combine images during subsequent image composition processing. FIG. 5 shows an example of the progression of an image captured using bulb photography. In this example, six bulb shots were taken, and light trails are captured in each image. The exposure time for bulb photography is significantly shorter than that for the reference image, so the areas other than the light trails appear dark.

[0027] Next, camera 1 performs image synthesis S3. In image composition S3, camera 1 performs comparative brightening composition on either the reference image taken in reference image photography S1 or the composite image composed in image composition S3, and the light trail image taken in the immediately preceding bulb photography S2. Comparative brightening composition is performed on the reference image in the first image composition, and from the second time onwards, comparative brightening composition is performed on the composite image. FIG. 6 shows an example of the transition of the composite image. In this example, six bulb shots are taken, so six composite images are also generated. As the lightening process progresses, light trails are added, gradually forming letters.

[0028] Next, the camera 1 determines whether to continue shooting S4. If photography is to continue, the camera 1 returns to bulb photography S2 and repeats this, but if the photographer specifies that photography should end, photography ends. For example, if the camera 1 displays "END" on its display screen and the photographer performs an operation to indicate consent, the result of the shooting continuation step S4 is "N." If the switch is not pressed and the release switch 33 is pressed, the result of the shooting continuation step S4 is "Y." There are various other methods for determining whether or not to continue shooting, and any method may be used as long as it conveys the photographer's intention as to whether or not to continue shooting. Figure 7 is a composite image obtained in light painting photography mode. The letters "ABC" are drawn with light trails against a starry sky image.

[0029] <Effects of the First Embodiment> As described above, the light painting photography method of the present invention draws a light trail by taking multiple photographs, so there is no need to draw it in one stroke, making it possible to create complex expressions. In addition, when not exposed in bulb photography, the color of the light emitting part 31 can be changed, which widens the range of color expression. Furthermore, bulb photography allows the photographer to freely control the exposure time, allowing them to freely control the length of the light trail and the speed at which the penlight moves. Furthermore, since the release switch 33 for bulb photography is integrated with the light emitting unit 31, the position where the light trail is drawn can be intuitively understood and the image can be easily drawn. As mentioned above, the various benefits of light painting photography make it easy to achieve sophisticated expressions.

[0030] The photographing method of the present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the light trail image may be synthesized first and then synthesized with the reference image, or the reference image may be captured last. The image synthesis method is not limited to comparatively bright synthesis, and any image synthesis method that extracts light trails can be used. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 camera, 2 tripod, 3 light pen, 31 Issue unit, 32 Grip, 33 Release switch, S1 Standard image capture, S2 Bulb capture, S3 Image composition, S4 Continued capture

Claims

1. a reference image capturing step of capturing a reference image; a bulb photography step of photographing a moving light source with a bulb and acquiring a light trail image; a synthesis step of comparatively brightening the light trail image with the reference image or the synthesis image generated in this step, The photographing method repeats the bulb photographing step and the composition step until the photographer issues an instruction to end the process.

2. an imaging device equipped with the composite image generating method according to claim 1; a release switch that wirelessly instructs the imaging device to start and stop bulb photography; A light painting photography system consisting of a light-emitting device.

3. the release switch; A light pen for light painting photography, which is integrally configured with the light emitting device.

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