Burning Balls of Brilliance — Steel Wool Experiments with the Lomo’Instant Square Glass

Three, Two, One — we have IGNITION! We love testing out new and creative ways to light up our summer nights so we just had to share this burning bundle of brilliance with you. Lose yourself in the cacophony of embers cutting through the night sky and of course, snap away all those luminescent lightscapes. Stick around for your new experimental evening escapade with steel wool — its a hot topic!

Ingredients for Ignition

Steel Wool
To find this vital component visit your local supermarket, warehouse or paint store. Make sure you pick up grade 0 or 00 as these will burn best.

Whisk and Rope
Be sure to buy a full metal whisk with a strong loop at the bottom. Tie a length of about two meters of rope, string or an old shoelace to the bottom of the whisk.

Lighter
To set your project alight use either a lighter or a 9V battery, both will do the trick.

Tripod
To keep things crisp, be make sure to use a tripod, this will also help pull off those crazy compositions.

• Lomo'Instant Square Glass *
With its brilliant bulb mode and ultra sharp glass lens, this foldable box of creativity is great for night time antics.

Locked and Loaded

Time to scout a safe location! Choose somewhere away from busy streets, crowded areas and flammable hazards like dry leaves, grass, and buildings. Remote open spaces with concrete paving are ideal. Finally, be sure to check the law of your local area — we wouldn’t want anyone getting into trouble!

Once your Lomo'Instant Square Glass is set up on a tripod, you’ve checked the correct focussing distance and composed your shot, switch over to bulb mode (B) to capture some light streaks. Pull apart a handful of steel wool and place it inside the whisk, and give the whisk a squeeze to hold it firmly in place. Remember to put the rest of the steel wool back in a bag and away from any stray sparks — it’s pretty flammable!

Get Spinning!

Before you set this fantastic photo project alight, double check everything is ready: give the whisk a few swings above your head to familiarise yourself with your surroundings.

Now, the time you've been waiting for has arrived — light up your steel wool and get that burning bouquet spinning! Use the Lomo’Instant Square ’s remote control shutter release, or have a friend help to capture your burning ball of brilliance. And don’t forget to experiment: try out different spinning speeds, directions, and rope lengths for all sorts of crazy effects.

Safe and Sound

This part is important as steel wool burns at a very high heat — approximately 700°C. So stay safe from the shower of sparks produced by your whisk spinning: be sure to wear a thick hoodie, full-length trousers, safe shoes that cover your feet and a pair of safety glasses. We also recommend that you carry a bottle of water — in case any mishaps arise!

Fuel the Fire

After a few fire filled nights we sat down and admired our spark stained snaps and we couldn't believe our eyes. We have to admit we’re hooked on these fiery flicks and we want to see your own spark showers, too! Upload your steel wool snaps to your Lomohome , or share them on social media using the hashtags #heylomography and #lomosteelwool. We can't wait to see what you’ll create!

written by sameder on 2018-08-25 #tutorials #long-exposure #nighttime #light-painting #after-dark #steel-wool #lomo-instant-square