THIS IS TO RENT THIS SERIES, NOT DOWNLOAD. YOU CAN RENT AND WATCH FOR 12 MONTHS.

Pre-order: £19.20 until 31 October, then £24

Released in November. Pre-order now and you'll get access as soon as it goes live.

Lots of you enjoyed Dancing Flowers, Polina's first studio workshop with us. So when she said she had a new idea, the answer was always going to be yes! You do not need to have seen anything from Polina before!

In Luminous Flowers, Polina paints with light. She moves a fibre-optic light brush around a single flower on black velvet, at a slow shutter speed, so each tiny point of light draws a line around the petals, stem and leaves. She then builds the picture in camera with multiple exposures, so there is very little editing to do afterwards. Most of it can be done at home on a small budget.

Polina starts by talking through her finished pictures and her kit, then we move into the studio. We filmed there with several cameras, so you can watch her hands, her setup and the back of her camera as she works. You'll also see the finished pictures from the day.

What the workshop covers Running time: about 60 minutes

• The finished pictures. Polina shows her own light-painted lily, iris and tulips and explains how each was made. One is a triple exposure built from a sharp frame, a frame of red light and a lighter touch of white.

• The kit. What a fibre-optic light brush is, why she uses black strands on a black background, and how to add colour with a multi-colour torch or coloured gels.

• Setting up. Holding the flower steady, a small snooted light from the side for shadow and depth, and a long black glove so your hand disappears. She also covers lower-cost alternatives to her studio light.

• Camera settings. Manual mode, two seconds as a starting shutter speed and when to go shorter or longer, white balance set in Kelvin, and the self-timer as your cue to start moving.

• The movements. Polina follows the stem, flicks the light sideways like smoke, and traces a single leaf in green. She holds back most of the strands so the light never overpowers the flower.

• Larger flowers. How the movement changes for a bigger flower, and how to keep the pattern under control when you use every strand.

• Building the picture. Combining a couple of movement frames with one still frame so the flower stays sharp, and adding a second colour in a separate exposure.

• Blending in Photoshop. If your camera has no multiple exposure setting, Polina shows you how to get the same result from two frames: her light-painted shot and the backup frame she takes every time. She covers positioning the two, which two blending modes she chooses between and why one suits bright flowers on black, and why she shoots that backup frame in the first place.

A few of Polina's tips

• Pick a light colour that already appears somewhere in your flower.

• Start with a flower that has a clear shape, like a tulip or lily, before trying roses or dahlias.

• Keep the tips of the brush pointing at the camera, level with the flower.

• Check every frame, so you learn which movement makes which pattern.

What you will need

• A camera with manual mode and a tripod. Multiple exposure is useful but not essential.

• A black background, ideally velvet.

• A fibre-optic light brush, an adapter and a small torch. Links to Polina's kit are at the end of the workshop.

• A small light you can aim at the flower. A torch with a simple snoot will do.

• A black glove, and something to hold your flower in place.

•  

About Polina

Polina Plotnikova is a Camversation legend. You may know her from Dancing Flowers, from talks such as Chasing Seasons and Starting from a Blank Canvas, or from one of the meet-ups she has led for us.

Polina calls herself a picture maker rather than a picture taker. She studied art history and worked with photography in museums, galleries and picture libraries before finding her own style. She is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society and holds the EFIAP distinction. Her work has won eight Gold and Silver-Gilt medals at RHS photography competitions, a category at Food Photographer of the Year, and several awards at International Garden Photographer of the Year. She is a Lensbaby Ambassador and has judged for both the RHS and the RPS.