#Pixelstick bmp how to#
#Pixelstick bmp series#

You’ll want a big pack of steel wool, as it will take a few tries to dial in the exposure you want. Light and spin! The wool will catch quickly, and it will burn out quickly as well.Make sure you don’t pack it in too tightly, or your sparks will be less impressive. Stuff the fluff inside the steel wool.Fluff a little chunk of the wool until it resembles a cumulus cloud.Whoever is going to spin the flaming wool should practice spinning the whisk around as-is, to get a feel for how the whisk will respond. Feed your rope (chain, wire, etc.) through the hole at the base of the whisk and make sure that it is securely fastened.

#Pixelstick bmp how to#

Once you’ve assembled your materials, here’s how to use them: ( Not optional) A safe location, away from dry materials and near fire containment equipmentĭouble your sparks and stay safe by shooting near a calm body of water! Photo by Macey Sigaty.( Optional) Black clothing to mask your spinner.A lighter, preferably a long-handled fireplace lighter.A rope, chain, wire, or other similar material to give your whisk a spinning handle.As long as it has a hole in the base of the handle and is big enough to insert a glob of steel wool but not so big that it will fall back out again, you should be fine. Very fine steel wool-shoot for grade 000 or 0000.

Here’s what you need to use it in your photography: Steel Wool My take on the same shoot as Macey Sigaty’s, at the top of the page.ĭid you know that very fine steel wool is flammable? I was surprised, too! Spinning poi may be beyond the skill set available to you or more of an investment than you’d like to make, but steel wool is cheap and anyone can give spinning the whisk a shot.

If you don’t know any hobbyists, watch for meetups at parks downtown and performance art festivals. There are also versions augmented with LEDs and other non-fire lighting, which still require a great degree of skill but are safer. Adding fire for night performance is a natural progression. Essentially, poi are weighted objects on the ends of tethers which are spun rhythmically in geometric patterns. Meditative for the user and quite exciting for an onlooker, this performance equipment really shines in long-exposure photography. Fire PoiĪt the other end of the difficulty spectrum are fire poi. She didn’t have to sacrifice clarity, either, as she let the light provide the action for her without moving (read: blurring) the subject. Then, the photographer created both mystery and action by adding the sparkler. The scene was interesting to start with-remember the commentary in Part 1 about seeking out the interesting light hiding in the dark-with ambient blue lights combined with nearby red and green traffic lights reflecting in the fog. This photo is a great example of a combination of techniques. Sparklers are also extremely easy to control with little to no practice, which will have you painting wild canvases in the air in no time. They’re cheap, generally legal, and safer than other options, but still provide trails of light as the flaming material flakes off. Sparklers are a great way to add some grit to your light painting, especially if you’re looking for a first experiment with fire.

#Pixelstick bmp series#

Today, we wrap up this series on night photography with some tips on using fire as a tool for light painting and a brief look at other, specialized lighting equipment.Ĭlass: Sign up for our in-depth workshop, May 23rd at Park Meadows! Sparklers Photo by Macey Sigaty Yesterday, we went a little deeper, adding light with easy-to-pack sources like flashlights and lasers. Good evening! On Friday, we took a look at how the world around you can pull double duty, offering completely different photographic opportunities at night.