Night Photography
(And Black and White Photography)
By Ellie Race
Steel Wool (Test Two)
 |  |
|---|
The steel wool test two that I performed turned out a lot better than the first. By attempting the technique twice I have gained and learnt how to get the best outcome. Not only is the quality better in the second images, they are also more compositionally pleasing. As you can clearly see the images above use radial composition, but at the same time the lines that are coming off the centre circle could give us a leading lines. The bright oranges of the sparks contrast nicely with the surrounding area. I decided rather than experimenting in my garden I would attempt a more open area, I chose a very large field. I was right to do this, as you can see in the image some of the hot metal reached heights of almost 20 metres. The only problem I see with this image would the ever present and very clear person in the centre of it, I have not corrected this as of yet but hope that in my next steel wool attempt it will bring out an even better outcome. The concept behind the image isn’t exactly great; I liked the idea of the free flowing sparks being captured on camera as they fall back down to the ground. The shutter speed that I used for this particular image was 25, and it may have been slightly long as the light burned out at around 15 and left me standing stock still. Overall I think the contrasting light and darkness makes my image what it is and I am happy with the outcome. However there is always room to improve, and on my next test I will be creating new shapes and new angles for the camera to capture in all its glory.
I decided to analyse the image above further and to highlight the qualities that I think make my image great to look at. The movement of light is what I wanted to capture in this image and some of the sparks that flew up high make this all the better. Some even reached heights of 20 feet by the looks of the image. Something that I would like to change if given the chance to, would be to try and get out of the shot before the image is taken. The spiral would look all the better without a person standing in the centre of it and would also add to the mystery of the image. I have decided the composition of this image can be both radial and symmetrical, because of the circle but also because of the equal sparks that have erupted onto each of the sides. The bright and glowing lines of light contrast intensely with the dark blue background. When looking at the depth of the image, it is clean that the space is proportionate and the scale of the image is very large. Throughout the image it is clear that the landscape is put to good use and the space used gives your eyes something to wonder about, to explore. The lines of vibrant sparks make the image what it is and allows me to achieve my goal and capture the movement of light while in the dark.