Photographer gives amazing behind-the-scenes look at how he creates light painting of swan

A photographer who makes amazing light paintings has shared a behind-the-scenes video to explain his unusual method.

Hannu Huhtamo created the image by combining different lights and long exposure to give the illusion of an adult swan and their cygnet sitting on the water of Lake Saimaa in southeast Finland.

The image, titled Serenity, is the latest in a series by Hannu as he has been using this style since 2008.

In a video, shot by his wife Sanna in July 2021, Hannu stands in the lake completely dressed in black, as the sun sets behind him giving a slight orange glow, which reflects off the surface of the water.

He takes various lights from his pocket including a long flexible one that he bends to create the swan's body and neck.

Hannu then takes a smaller torch to create intricate details like the wing.

He then repeats the process to create the smaller swan sitting by the first's side.

Hannu said: “I just had to do some light drawing in front of this amazing scene.

"Mosquitos all over me and small baby perches were nibbling my toes as I stood in the water with bare feet.”

The photographer uses an Olympus camera with Live Composite mode so he can stack several frames into one image in real-time and see it as it happens.

It means he can create an amazing image without using photoshop or any post-production touch-ups.