In the age of selfies, photography has never been more obvious, some people look for unusual places to impress their friends and followers with a creative selfie, it is also common for people to play with their images creating illusions of perspective that change the size of objects and people.
Some of the effects produced are so perfect that they give the impression that they were made in image editing programs, such as the Steel Wool effect, also known as the “steel wool” effect. One of the most beautiful and incredible light effects ever produced manually.
- Steel wool can produce various light designs.
- Each shape will depend on the movements made during the technique.
- Looking at the photos.
- You may think that it is impossible to manually promote such an effect.
- But.
- Just to prove otherwise.
- We’ve set up up a tutorial to learn how to make steel wool.
Discover the technique that will revolutionize your selfies (if you use tripod), immortalize romantic moments with more glamour, in short, make your photos more creative and worthy of photographic rewards, impress your friends and customers with surreal photos or maybe make money with what is already your passion, photography.
After reading this article, you will see that anyone with some photography knowledge can perform this light capture technique using steel wool, know the procedure better and produce professional quality effects on your photos.
Long-lasting effect, it is a simple technique, but it requires specific care, if you are not careful accidents can occur, even burns, but how do we make this creative effect sustainable?What elements are needed? Find out what.
The technique is to take a photo with light effects, these effects are captured in the form of drawings that can reproduce continuous circles, light rain, drawings of black holes and others, such capture is done by burning the tip of the steel wool, hence the name.
By continuous movements of the steel wool, as it is ignited, the chamber records the sparks produced by this combustion. Thus, the photographer captures the path of light in his lenses. The capture of the path of light consists of the technique called “light painting”, which translates from English, means drawing light.
The thing is that there are several ways to capture light, but steel wool is an intriguing technique that produces beautiful designs, so we decided to teach here how to produce it as well as the necessary material, so read this article to the end to achieve perfection safely.
Some elements are essential for the manufacture of steel wool. The tripod, for example, is essential to ensure good positioning of the equipment. Speaking of photographic equipment, it should be a DSLR camera, preferably a single-target SLR camera. What is the reason for choosing a DSLR and not a normal camera?
The choice of DSLR model is due to a number of factors that contribute to image quality, since it has sensors that better control depth, have a high ISO that allows quality photos even in low light, perfect lenses with focal length and ideal aperture for steel wool.
A team that cannot be missing is steel wool, as it will be the protagonist of this effect. We left this article for the end, because for safety reasons, you can’t just turn on the straw and keep rolling because it would stay. Hurts Here’s how to make one? Contraption: this will ensure a better light effect safely.
You’ll need a broomsaba stick, a nail, a chain, an egg mixer and a steel wool. Hold the chain, with the nail, to the wooden handle. The other end of the chain will be attached to the drummer’s handle (you can use a piece of strong wire to join the two). The steel wool should be placed inside the egg mixer.
We recommend using a camera with large aperture lenses, to make the capture better. The configuration can be with an aperture f / 3. 5-5. 6 with a focal length of 24 mm, or even the Lens Canon EF-S 10-18 mm with an aperture of f / 4. 5-5. 6, even the lens Canon EF 16-35 mm with an aperture of f / 2. 8. L or EF? S 10 with a focal length of 22 mm f / 4. 5-5. 6.
You should also observe the ISO of the digital camera, as it is the sensitivity of the photograph to the light. Therefore, the higher the ISO number, the greater the sensitivity. There is no way to make steel wool without proper ISO sensitivity, as this will allow you to shoot in low light. We recommend ISO 50 to perform the technique.
We are talking about shooting in low light, since it is not enough to have high-tech equipment, we must also choose the ideal environment, as this is an effect produced by light, it is necessary to choose an environment with little or no light. The best option is to perform this process at night, never indoors.
In addition to the details of the camera configuration, already mentioned, it should be mentioned that the camera must be long exposure, since it will take a few seconds to capture the trajectory of the light, while the movement is taking place. camera for prolonged exposure with a speed of 15 seconds.
The right setting and environment are ideal for the photo to occur successfully, otherwise your photo will be at least strange, because instead of capturing the light drawings, it will engrave you spinning a piece of burning steel wool. step so as not to make mistakes.
Doing it for the first time may seem difficult and dangerous, but it really is, however, if you follow the steps below, in addition to the security measures, surely your technique will succeed, discover how to do it by following the following 4 steps in this tutorial:
1? First you’ll need an assistant, he’ll take care of making the movements with the steel wool. With a lighter, turn on the tip of the steel wool, you don’t need to burn all the steel wool, only set fire to the tip. . Ask him to take a few turns to test the moves.
2? Place your camera on the tripod and make adjustments. Note that the ideal exposure time should be about 15 seconds, up to 30 seconds. To make things easier, you can work in TV mode and change the shutter speed settings, so the camera automates focus and ISO.
3? After setting up the camera, be light when moving it, preferably use a remote trigger. Because vibrations can affect photo quality. Alternatively, use your camera timer to start the photo in 2 seconds, so there will be a time between pressing the button and shooting. Prevent the photo from moving.
4? Then ask the person to make the movements with the steel wool. Remember that the effect occurs with the movements produced. Make continuous and intense movements, but without exaggeration, so that it does not emit many sparks and the camera cannot record the intensity of the light. Start movements while shooting.
It is also possible to reproduce the Steel Wool effect with the people present in the scene. This is a more elaborate technique and is usually produced by professional photographers for wedding rehearsals and special events. Why not try playing? Learn how to make steel wool to serve as a background for photographs with people on the scene.
Opt for manual focus, using: shutter between 8 and 10, ISO from 200 to 400 and time of 15 seconds. Place the person or people who will appear in the photo. During this time, the person responsible for the movements will have the steel. wool on and placed to the left of the one to be photographed.
The idea is to produce continuous circular movements that serve as the background to the photo and in this way, these movements will mask the presence of the person who reproduces them, so the movements must be executed with equal agility and precision. Do not be too intense or too slow.
As soon as the person starts moving, photograph the camera (also set to 2 seconds). As the steel wool rotates, the person must walk to the right side of the image. Make sure that when you get to the other side of the image, you head to the person photographed and shoot the external flash to freeze the image.
Once the photo is finished, make some adjustments using an image program, if the white balance is not good adjust it and do the same with the light tones and shadows of the photo, we are not talking about editing with the captured images, but about how to adjust the photo so that it has better quality.
An important detail is the distance between the camera and the person photographed, keep a distance that allows a perfect focus so that it is possible to capture not only the character, but also all the movements produced with steel wool, this distance ensures the safety of both and the camera used.
Safety is never too much, especially when shooting, that is why it is necessary to take some precautions to avoid accidents that can turn pleasure into a nightmare, so we let these measures speak at the end of this article, so that they are present in your mind and you can follow them correctly.
Perform the effect in an open place, away from objects that can cause combustion. The ideal is to find an isolated place, not only away from artificial light, but also from houses, cables, cars and other objects that can cause accidents.
Avoid looking directly at sparks, wear safety glasses if possible to avoid accidents with your eyes. Using a hood and protective mask will also improve your safety and prevent burns to your face and smoke inhalation.
Wear clothing that really protects your skin. Opt for jeans with fabric such as jeans and blouses with thick fabric and long sleeves. In addition to wearing the cap, it’s worth increasing safety with a hoodie to protect your hair and neck. Thick gloves should also be worn on the hands due to sparks.
Kids love to see the effects of fireworks and anything that produces light, however, there’s a warning that you won’t repeat this technique in the presence of children, sparks can cause burns to sensitive skin and those around you.
Distance, as mentioned above, is critical to achieving a breadth of focus, but not only is it beneficial for the approach, as it ensures the safety of your photographic equipment, your safety and that of your assistant, it is important to observe the distance between the person making the movements and the person being photographed.
This type of photography has an incredible effect and is worth repeating, however, like any experience, the first attempt may not work, but do not get discouraged, because this photograph is made with mistakes and hits, especially if it is your first time with this technique Do not give up, because it is worth it!
Prioritize not only a photo with good image quality, but also that it is produced safely. Still have questions about the steel wool manufacturing tutorial?Leave your comment, interact with us and create one of the most beautiful manual photo effects.