Ignition Sequences: Steel Wool Light Painting in Reverse

Photography Tips

Most of us hanging around picture-sharing websites have seen light painting done with steel wool. It’s looks cool, but it’s become a bit commonplace. However, Richard Johnston took it to a whole new level:

Johnston shot the video of a woman “light painting” with fine steel wool in the forest for a company that provides juggling props. It stands as a testimonial of his ability to come up with great ideas for a given project. Incorporating slow motion video, shallow depth of field, and playing everything backwards sure gives a different perspective to something cliché. (Via PetaPixel)

If you decide to try this sort of project our yourself, remember: safety first. Johnston had a team standing by (probably holding fire extinguishers) in case a fire started, but since he shot everything just after heavy rain, the risk was minimal.

The project stands to show that even overdone techniques can become awesome if you have a good skill set and a novel idea.