Steel wool photography

in #hive-1949132 years ago

Steel wool 01.jpg
ISO 400 - 15 mm - f 22 - 20,0 sec
Click here to view larger

So excited to do this assignment from my photography course.

I thought this would be so cool, and it certainly didn't disappoint me. I'm delighted with the result.

But before you can get started, you need a little preparation. Not in terms of your camera.

I mean the stuff you need to create these great sparks. First, of course, you need steel wool. And a lot of it!! But also a whisk in which you put the steel wool. A piece of rope to which you attach the whisk. You have to swing it around to get that beautiful effect. And a lighter or a fully charged 9V battery to set the steel wool on fire.

(Watch the attached video below for further visual explanation.)

Steel Wool Photography is all about long exposure. So shutter speed and aperture are critical.

Below each photo, you can see which settings I used. But, of course, that also depends on the ambient light in your area. So dare to play with your camera's settings until you are delighted.

Because of the long exposure, you will capture all the hot embers flying through the air. Make sure you wear clothes that are not flammable and cover your head well so that no sparks can get on your skin or hair.

Gloves are also helpful. The sparks will mainly fly away from you and not be very hot, but prevention is better.

Also, be mindful of your surroundings. You must prevent setting dry nature on fire, for example.

Your camera beautifully captures the path the glowing embers will travel through the air. And will be visible as beautiful stripes. And a circle in the middle, where you spin the whisk.

If you stand in an open area, the embers will fly in all directions. But if, like me in the first two photos, you're in a confined space, limiting the distance the sparks can fly. And you get a unique frame with your image.
My dad and I are in a tunnel in the first two photos. The sun had set, so we were not bothered by external light.

Steel wool 02.jpg
ISO 400 - 15 mm - f 22 - 20,0 sec
Click here to view larger

The following photos were shot at different locations on the edge of a village. The first three face the town. You also see a lot of ambient light, which I find disturbing in the photo. You see lampposts, buildings, etc.

Too bad, but unfortunately, you cannot move or remove them from the photo. Even with Photoshop, this is too much work. So instead, I suggest having a completely dark background, and your image will be most successful. And the embers come into their own best.

Steel wool 03.jpg
ISO 320 - 43 mm - f 11 - 15,0 sec
Click here to view larger

Steel wool 04.jpg
ISO 200 - 15 mm - f 11 - 15,0 sec
Click here to view larger

Steel wool 05.jpg
ISO 200 - 15 mm - f 16 - 30,0 sec
Click here to view larger

These last two photos were shot in the same spot but now facing the water instead of the village. The person who swings the steel wool is standing on a boating dock. You can immediately see that the background is much darker, and the sparks stand out more from the environment.

Steel wool 06.jpg
ISO 160 - 15 mm - f 11 - 15,0 sec
Click here to view larger

This last photo is my favorite. Here you see two people. One person spins the steel wool, and the second walks towards the sparks with an umbrella in front of him, protecting him from the embers. You can also see the sparks bouncing off the umbrella.

Steel wool 07.jpg
ISO 200 - 15 mm - f 11 - 10,0 sec
Click here to view larger

This assignment has made me realize that you can take beautiful photos with few resources and not too much expense.

So challenge yourself once and take a chance; step out of your comfort zone.

You might surprise yourself.

I am sending my love to you all and wishing you a sparkling day.

All images are owned and taken by me. Shot with a Canon M50 and edited with Adobe Lightroom.

Sort:  

https://leofinance.io/threads/@globetrottergcc/re-leothreads-kshrtdxi
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people ( globetrottergcc ) sharing the post on LeoThreads,LikeTu,dBuzz.

beautiful! I had this feature in my phone camera and its called light painting but I've never played with it much

Great photos! Keep it up 👍

Rise And Shine Coffee GIF by mynaturalforce



The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @celi130, @muneeb487 ) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.

These photos are so cool! I saw this kind of photography plays with different types of lights at the night... You did a great job!
Thanks for sharing!


I have picked this post on behalf of the @OurPick project which will be highlighted in the next post!

Comment Footer.jpg

Thank you for your kind support! I am glad you liked them.

Your steel wool photography is truly impressive and it's evident that you put a lot of effort and preparation into this assignment. You have captured stunning images that really highlight the beauty and magic of steel wool photography. Your detailed explanation and tips on how to create these images are very helpful and inspiring to other photography enthusiasts. It's wonderful to see how much you have learned and grown in your photography skills, and your willingness to step out of your comfort zone and try new things is truly commendable. Keep up the fantastic work, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Pretty impressive, you nailed it!

I love long exposure lightsaber photography. Posted some her that an amazing friend took.

Beautiful and be careful! That's burning metal sparks...

Thank you for liking it.

Yep and please do not wear synthetic clothes.! Anything old and frayed is able to light up.

I've done some fire dancing and grinding metal. It's wild the temperatures. Check out mixing metals like copper for green. Magnesium for white...

Sparklers have recipes for the burns.

Gorgeous effects! Until you are the reason why they have the safety brief.

Personally I would advise natural fibers and of course getting squirted down with a spray bottle full of water before a performance. You don't have to be super wet however that would definitely give you a layer of protection for you hit an ignition point and turn into a human candle.

Please no synthetic clothing. When it catches fire it actually sticks to the skin and. It's all bad horrific...

Other than that... Dude. That's awesome! Right on! I can't wait to see you do more of this art. Keep it up! This is fire.

Oh and I notice that you have chosen the background as fireproof areas!