Spinning steel wool

Playing with steel wool comes down to knowing how to effectively paint with light. After all it's just a long exposure. Anyone can do it.

All you need is a camera, tripod, a few bundles of steel wool, some parachord a few whisks, a lighter and a couple extras which I'll mention here in a second.

From left to right, carabiner with paracord, fine grade steel wool, lighter, whisks. 

Takeaways: 

1. Have a few whisks packed and ready to go. You don't want to stop to set up after every spin, so pack a few before you arrive at your destination. 

2. If you buy the cheap whisks from Wal-Mart (.97 cents) like I did, you are going to want to tape the ends of the whisk handle so it doesn't fly off. 

Taped whisk handle

3. For the sake of practicality and reloading speed, tie a care beaner to the end of your chord to clip the chord on/off to the whisk as needed. 

4. Bring a lighter. The whole 9V battery thing is cool when you are out in the wilderness and trying to start a fire for the sake of your survival, but when it comes to spinning wool you don't want to bother with it. It's too slow and inefficient. The solution is quite simple. Bring a lighter. The wool will light up faster and you won't need to fiddle with it as much. Trust me.

5. Regarding the steel wool itself, try using the super fine stuff. In my experience, the course or medium ones don't work as well. 

6. Most bundles will last about 15-20 seconds so be sure to set your exposure accordingly. If you want to do it at dusk, or even sunset, use an ND filter to block most of the ambient light. 

7. Make sure to be in a safe area where nothing can catch on fire. I recommend doing it at the beach or an empty parking lot. Remember these are sparks your sending flying into the air. If you spin it in San Diego in an empty grass field during mid October you are sure to get arrested for attempted arson. Be smart about it. Have an adult present and don't touch the whisk after it's been lit. If you are wondering why, then it's probably best you avoid spinning it altogether. 

Spinning steel wool can yield some interesting and exciting pictures. Have fun and be creative. I always love seeing what others produce. Feel free to share your results in the comments bellow.