Painting with light (2)

A light painting by Wang in Guangzhou portrays mythological creatures from The Classic of Mountains and Seas.[Photo provided to China Daily]

"The expectation between the first click of the shutter, when the process begins, and the second click, when I can see the final product, provides a sense of surprise I am constantly drawn to."

Wang was a professional rugby player, playing for the Chinese national rugby team from 2005 to 2009, and went to 10 international competitions. In 2009, he went to Japan to play for a rugby club.

However, his sports career ended in 2012 because of cervical spondylosis, and photography literally became his light in the darkness. His travels led to his interest in photography, and when he saw light-painting photos by Spanish master Pablo Picasso online, Wang was introduced to the technique.

"I remember, in those days, I used to train during the day, and in the evenings, I'd take my camera to a small park and practice light-painting photography, usually for two or three hours," Wang says, adding that many locals kept their distance.

Wang draws an analogy between sports and the photo technique, both of which require muscle memory through practice. With only a basic background in sketching, he earlier needed to work on simple images dozens of times to get them right. It took him two years to become familiar with the structure of the dragon, for example, which is now one of his signature motifs.