I’ve been intrigued with photographing steel wool spinning since I first saw amazing shots of this technique sometime last year. Though I’ve used sparklers and flashlights for long exposures, this method adds a new element of drama. So when a group of friends recently planned an evening of shooting, I jumped at the chance to tag along.

If you’re unfamiliar with this method of light painting, you can find many posts online that explain how it’s done. The materials are simple: steel wool, a wire wisk, a nine-volt battery and length of wire or cord. And of course, someone willing to be the “spinner” while you take photos! As you might imagine, this is not without risk and should always be done in an open area away from dry brush, buildings, or anything that could be set on fire. In this case, we were using a concrete skate park as the setting for our experiments and had jugs of water at the ready for putting out any stray sparks.

For me, the first challenge was in getting my camera settings just right to capture the light trails. I have limited experience with long exposures, but a little research helped me to determine a starting point for my captures. I had the best luck with an aperture of f11 or f8 and ISO of 100 or 200. I varied the exposure length from 10-15 seconds; the steel wool burns surprisingly fast so you have to be ready as soon as the spinning begins. Focusing properly was also a challenge. I was a bit disappointed that the people in my shots were not in focus, but low light conditions–and the fact that the person spinning is not completely motionless–makes this especially tricky. I definitely need more practice!

Have you ever experimented with this (or other light painting) ? If so, I’d love to hear your tips for capturing great shots!

~Leslie