AmazeBalls & How to Make One!

I absolutely love to take pictures that play with light. It can be something difficult like taking a picture of a galaxy far, far away (you are welcome Star Wars Fans!) or it can be creating dynamic scenes for my childhood toys. I want to share with you how I create a light pattern I have nicknamed "The AmazeBall". I am sharing some of my favorite versions of this and I will also teach you how to do this process. I think you will find that it is surprisingly simple. I think I have held onto this little secret long enough and now it's time to share it with the world.

Item needed:

1. Camera (DSLR is best).

2. Tripod.

3. String or Rope.

4. Light. This can be a lantern, flashlight, or LED light. Steel wool is also fun, but please be careful. Steel will ignite if you touch a 9V battery to it.

5. Lens Cap (this is the secret ingredient, and I will explain why later).

Now that we have the basics we can get started with finding a location. It is important to find somewhere that will offer a unique backdrop. You want some light to bleed onto the surfaces being imaged. In the pictures above I have light bleeding onto the surface of the water, trees, and leaves for my images and you can see how much drama it tends to create.

The Process:

It needs to be dark, night time is best, late dusk also works, but the darker the better.

Frame your camera and tripod to where you want to have your AmazeBall appear, allow for plenty of room because you will be swinging that light in a circle like a cowboy with a lasso.

Connect your light to the end of the rope or string you will be using. I have also used a bungee cord. These are fun because as you swing it can expand and contract, changing the pattern a little bit.

Place your lens cap on the ground where you want the center of your AmazeBall to appear. This is a really important step. This cap on the ground is going to be your anchor, because as you swing your light around and around you will be rotating your body around that lens cap, and the light you are spinning will need to cross over that lens cap every time. This is what keeps the sphere consistent in its shape.

I typically set all of the above first and set a 20 to 30-second timer with a 10-second delay so I can run from the camera to my spot. If you have an intervelometer even better! You are more hi-tech than me!

Things to play with in your camera are aperture and ISO. I like to use an aperture of about 4.0 but if I want to play with my depth of field I will go 2.8. I also like to use ISO 1600 as it is the sweet spot for my camera when it comes to noise and sensor sensitivity. I have an older Canon 7D as my camera. Newer cameras are going to be much better at handling darkness.

The first image in this article is my favorite because of how the sparks spun out over the lake. I took this on a concrete dock over a lake, so I felt pretty safe with any fire concerns. I used some steel wool placed it inside a whisk (like a cooking utensil) and attached it to a rope.

The question I get asked the most is why do I not show up in the shots? The secret to that is two things:

1. Wear dark clothes dark hat. This helps you blend in and not have light reflect off of you.

2. Keep moving! The camera will not pick you up if you keep moving during the shutter exposure. Have you ever wondered why pictures from old times of streets (Think NYC in the 1800s) do not have many people in them? It is because it's a long exposure and most everyone is moving. So that is the trick! Keep moving!

Authors Note: Thanks for reading, commenting, and sharing. My writing is a part of my healing process. I am a broken spirit, a fallen sinner, but I am a forgiven child of God. That is why I share my vulnerable heart with all. Thank you for your support.