Light painting is a technique in which exposures are made by using a handheld light to paint or draw in a scene, while the shutter of your camera is left open during a long exposure say 10, 20 or 30 seconds, or set on bulb. Briefly, you set your camera on a tripod and then walk into your scene and paint the parts you want highlighted with your hand held torch. You will need to experiment to get correct times, exposure etc to get the effects you want, Go to Google to get detailed instructions of how to do this. Your main task will be to find suitable subject matter, old buildings are great, old cars etc. Cemeteries are fantastic, but wise to let the local Police know that you are going there and why. By holding a piece of coloured cellophane over your torch you get interesting lighting effects. Keep yourself invisible by always pointing the torch at the subject. Don’t aim the light back towards the camera, keep the light moving the whole time to avoid harsh lines or bright spots. For a more defined look use a narrow beam and close to the subject. For a broader or more even light keep the torch beam wide and stand back from the subject. You will need a camera that you set to manual, a tripod and a handheld light source; a Maglite torch is good as you can change the width of its beam. A friend is useful as your body guard!!!
