Steel Wool (by Chris Reynolds) If you want to really heat things up, pick up a package of steel wool, tie it to a chain, heat it up, and take long exposures of it spinning around. The sparks go everywhere. A popular composition people use is to spin it inside of a tunnel, because the sparks end up hitting all four sides of the tunnel – Sometimes they even bounce off the walls. Here is a tutorial on using steel wool, brought to you by Chris Reynolds from Flickr:
Please note I in no way endorse or encourage people in any way, shape or form to do something as fricking cool (sorry - dangerous, I mean *dangerous*) as the following playing with fire. This tutorial is meant for information only and should not be used.
Really - who wouldn't want to take photos as cool as these: ;) SAFETY FIRST You're playing with *FIRE*, people. Steel wool burns pretty quickly so you're generally OK; when it lands on you it'll burn out pretty quick. I've seen huge scatters land on a person and not leave any marks: BUT wear clothes you're not worried about getting burned patches in. Also wear a hood or a hat so it won't get in your hair. Goggles are a good idea, too. I've done a lot of burns and so far have only picked up one small scar on my right hand, but as it says - SAFETY FIRST! DON'T do this in a big patch of dry grass / indoors / amidst a pool of petrol. What you need: - Steel Wool: fine grade works best, but you can use medium if you wish. - 9V battery (that's the square one) - A length of chain (I've also seen reference to cages forthe end of the chain, but it's not what I use) - A hoodie or a hat (so the steel wool showering down doesn't catch fire in your hair) - Fire extinguisher (for super safety) - Tripod for camera - long exposures, so hand held is not going to cut it - Remote release for the camera if possible but timed exposure will work, too.
Trick Photography and Special Effects - 14.14.2011 - Copyright 2011 Evan Sharboneau – Page 47