Sparklers and Steel Wool

[bulldurham]

 

[SquarePeg]

Very cool! Been wanting to try this for a while. These came out great. I like the drama of that 2nd one a lot but the reflections in the first one edge it out as my favorite. Would love to know more about your set up for spinning and your settings. M

 

[smoke665]

I've also wanted to try steel wool for awhile. Great set!

 

[bulldurham]

The first one is a composite of two sparklers. The first sparkler was multi-colored, thus giving a lot of red/yellow tints and the second was pure white but while bright, it burned out quite quickly (Wal-Mart sparklers). Both were shot in twilight conditions as there were two of us trying to teach beginners the how to's of this kind of light painting. Both were shot at ISO 40, 5.6, 25 sec (and for whatever reason, I had my EV at .67 - probably left over from doing some bird shooting.)

The second was also a composite image of two separate steel wool twirls. The first shot was at f/11, 25 sec, ISO 160 .67 EV and the second layer was at f/14 just to add a bit more darkness without overpowering. Blending was a simple overlay of the light over the dark and painting in the details with a black brush on the layer mask. The last two shots were shot thirty minutes later than the first image, thus the darker imagery.

The last one was a single shot at f/7.1, 30 sec ISO 160 .67 EV. I did do some clarity bumping for the dramatic coloration.

I was shooting a Nikon D850 w/ 24-120 Nikkor lens on an Artec Carbon Fiber tripod. We shot on the low tide flats on the bay side of the Gulf of Mexico, specifically so we could get good reflections.

We used a kitchen whisker (metal) with a short rope attached to it for height in the spin. We used 0000 grade steel wool (the lighter, the better the burn) which we stuffed into the inner wires of the whisk and lit with a fire wand.

 

[PJM]

I like #1, very creative location and composition. I like how the person twirling the sparklers looks sort of ghostly.

 

[SquarePeg]

The first one is a composite of two sparklers. The first sparkler was multi-colored, thus giving a lot of red/yellow tints and the second was pure white but while bright, it burned out quite quickly (Wal-Mart sparklers). Both were shot in twilight conditions as there were two of us trying to teach beginners the how to's of this kind of light painting. Both were shot at ISO 40, 5.6, 25 sec (and for whatever reason, I had my EV at .67 - probably left over from doing some bird shooting.)

The second was also a composite image of two separate steel wool twirls. The first shot was at f/11, 25 sec, ISO 160 .67 EV and the second layer was at f/14 just to add a bit more darkness without overpowering. Blending was a simple overlay of the light over the dark and painting in the details with a black brush on the layer mask.

The last one was a single shot at f/7.1, 30 sec ISO 160 .67 EV. I did do so clarity bumping for the dramatic coloration.

I was shooting a Nikon D850 w/ 24-120 Nikkor lens on an Artec Carbon Fiber tripod. We shot on the low tide flats on the bay side of the Gulf of Mexico, specifically so we could get good reflections.

We used a kitchen whisker (metal) with a short rope attached to it for height in the spin. We used 0000 grade steel wool (the lighter, the better the burn) which we stuffed into the inner wires of the whisk and lit with a fire wand.

Did your spinner wear any type of safety gear? I’ve seen some of these where they spin wearing a welders mask!

 

[terri]

Terrific work! These look fantastic. Beautiful to look at!

 

[bulldurham]

Other than a pair of sunglasses, no special gear, though now that I think about it, he probably should have worn a hat, too.

 

[K9Kirk]

Nice set. I bought some steel wool and a whisk to put it in to get that effect two years ago and I still haven't done it. I wanted to do some fun shots with the motorcycle. Good job.

 

[Geenphoto]

Nicely done long exposure. The model obviously had some experience for the camera.

 

[Susan Will]

Totally cool!

 

[jeffashman]

Very nice!

 

[enezdez]

Very Nice Set...2nd shot for me it's fab... lol