Hi, and welcome to my blog, where I document my life as a photographer, writer, podcast host, educator, partner, and Papa. So many labels. It’s been a crazy couple of months, especially taking into account the lead-up to, and the experience at, the Bright Festival of Photography (BFOP) in October 2026. Wow, that was such an incredible experience and one that makes the top of the list of the best creative and social experiences of my life. I have not written about my actual BFOP experience here on my blog, as I have already written and submitted two separate articles about that weekend for other sites. The first is an article I have written for the Lucky Straps blog. That article covers the Lucky Straps and Camera Life Podcast experience at this year’s photography festival. The second article is now with the BFOP admin, ready to be published. Anyway, I digress. Check it out. As it turns out, in the weekend before BFOP, I had another creative experience that also makes the same list of top creative experiences. Lucky me! I had the absolute delight of attending Denis Smith’s Light Painting Workshop and learning from a true master-Jedi-level creative!

Denis Smith is a renowned photographer, videographer, and educator with an incomparable eye for the light. Denis’s YouTube channel, School Of Light, is an open, no-holds-barred dialogue of shared experience, technique, and a core belief that anyone can become a light painter. Through his Smith Makes Stuff video tutorials, Denis openly shares his methods for creating accessible, masterful light-painting tools and getting into light painting with little more than a modified Christmas decoration. Beyond the maker videos, Denis’s catalogue includes in-depth how-to guides, extensive Ball Of Light tutorials, and documentary-style content showcasing the many amazing places he has travelled as a light painter. While I am not a car guy, I especially love Denis’s work light painting high-performance cars in his Auto Art series.

Over the past three years, Denis has become a regular on The Camera Life Podcast and a pivotal contributor to our community. I’ve lost count of how many times he’s been a guest or co-host, but each time he brings unparalleled creative energy. Every time he joins us, I feel proud and privileged to have such incredible support. At each of the three past BFOP’s, Denis has held the title of Most Valuable Player (MVP), at least in my books, as he embraces and embodies what a full-body creative immersion looks and feels like. Over those festival events (he has attended 9 BFOPs), Denis has embraced the photographic community and delivered sold-out light painting workshops to an ever-expanding base of visual creatives keen to see a master in action. While also hoping some of Denis’ magic rubs off on them. I have attended the past three BFOPs with the Lucky Straps/The Camera Life Podcast team, and Denis has embraced our crew and elevated the team with his time and antics. At BFOP 2026, Denis grabbed a mic and stepped into the craziness alongside our newest team member, Lucinda Goodwin – music and concert photographer, social media guru, and mentor. The pair hit it off and connected immediately, roaming the festival and capturing POV content for the newly launched Lucky Straps TV media branding. Beyond the glitz and glamour of podcasting and festivals, Denis is an incredibly supportive and loving friend. Den tends to lead and interact from the heart, so it’s no surprise he’s stepped into a new endeavour as a qualified counsellor.

Now on to the Light Painting workshop. It may surprise some that I have never previously attended a photography workshop outside of the handful I have attended at BFOP. It was just something that I never had the capacity to invest in. I was both delighted and a little scared when Denis invited me to join one of his workshops in early October 2026. While I had seen Denis light paint in person before, I had never seen him educate others in the process. To say he gives his all to the process is an understatement. What’s also worth highlighting is Denis’ ability to quickly connect with and build trust with his workshop participants. He genuinely loves the process and the challenge of imparting knowledge to others so they, too, can feel the thrill of creating stunning light painting images. Regardless of your skill level, experience, or kit quality, Den makes space for others to creatively stretch their skills and knowledge in new and unexpected ways.

The Denis Smith Light Painting Workshop I attended was one of two run over that weekend. For the location, Denis connected with my long-time friend Jason Lau, a class-leading educator, commercial photographer, and motorbike enthusiast. Jason owns and operates two photography/videography studios in Box Hill: Fabrik and LUMI Studio. The Light Painting Workshops were held at Fabrik, a 242sqm warehouse studio that was blacked out for the workshop experience. The Sunday workshop I attended had twelve participants, all keen to see and learn from a master at his craft. It was also amazing to meet some people face-to-face for the first time, including Lucinda Goodwin and Felicity Johnson. Just before we kicked off the workshop, Jason Lau arrived to say g’day to the group and ensure everything was set up for the afternoon and evening. What Jason didn’t know was that he was about to have an incredible light painting experience of his own. Since Jason arrived on his gorgeous, much-loved Harley-Davidson, Denis seized the opportunity to use Jason and his bike as subjects for our first lesson of the day. Jason wheeled in his Harley and followed Denis’s lead, standing still and posing while Den, locked and loaded with his custom light-painting tools, wove his magical dance around Jason. Denis’ camera was tethered to a projector casting its image upon a large wall. Within seconds of finishing his light painting ballet, an image of Jason and his bike appeared on the wall. Everyone gasped at just how quickly Denis had turned an idea into a piece of art. Having known Jason for some time, he was visibly impressed and humbled by Denis’s work. It was the perfect way to start the workshop experience.

Over the afternoon and into early evening, Denis demonstrated several light-painting styles and approaches while also teaching us how to create and use light-painting tools effectively. Denis custom-makes his light painting arsenal from simple household items that deliver incredible results. Light painting requires long exposure times, giving the painter time to duck and weave through a scene and around a core subject. Broken into smaller groups, we were able to experiment and apply what we learned. Like the example with Jason and his Harley, we took turns being the subject (sitting or standing perfectly still) while the rest of our group took turns painting with the light tools and capturing their images. We played around with one approach for about half an hour before Denis called us into a huddle and demonstrated the next creative exercise. Rinse and repeat. Learn and grow.

Throughout the day, I challenged myself to push my creativity, embrace the new, and support those around me. It was such a fulfilling creative process, and the near-instant outcomes (along with Denis’s special sauce of magic) kept us engaged and keen to ‘try one more time!’ I learnt so much that day and walked away with a more mature skill set that will continue to elevate all the photography I do. I also absorbed a lot about how Denis runs his workshops, interacts with people, and handles the challenges that arise. I can carry this new knowledge, skill set, and understanding forward as I continue to improve my craft and how I educate others in my workshops. It was also easy to see why Denis has such a strong following and why his BFOP workshops are among the first to sell out. Having known Denis for some time and seen his light-painting skills on display at BFOP, I thought I knew what this workshop had in store. And while I was right to expect lots of hands-on light painting, I hadn’t expected the creative rush or elevated outlook I got from spending an afternoon with a room full of other creatives and one compelling educator.

I want to take this moment to thank Denis for such an incredible, insightful, and empowering workshop experience. I took away far more than I expected, and my respect for him grew exponentially. My first workshop opportunity proved to be an exercise in pure enlightenment. So my advice to you: if you ever have the chance to do a photogrpahy workshop, especially one in a genre you are unfamiliar with, take the chance and push square-self into a round hole! Be safe. G