Light painting is not new. The first known piece  dates back to 1889 “Pathological Walk From in Front”.

 I discovered  light painting whilst taking pictures of outdoor movie events. I had an exposure of 20 seconds or so to get a pictures of the crowd at an outdoor movie. A child had a glowstick and was spinning it, another person was walking with one.  The light from the glowsticks and the movement through space created interesting imagery.  

With lights you can write, paint and color during a long exposure.

Through experimentation the light painting community has created tool and techniques for creating shapes and objects.