Sparklers and spark fountains in infrared. Click to embiggen.
I used a Hoya R-72 infrared filter, mostly handheld with a long shutter speed. The long shutter speed is necessary to expose the pictures in IR in the fading evening light. I shot some of these off of a table to steady the camera.
The long exposure creates some blurriness, but a couple of times that turned into a cool effect like this one with ghosts and light trails. The whole thing has a Blair Witch Project/Sixth Sense feel.
You can do the same thing with normal color photography – use a long exposures to get trails from sparklers and other fireworks. As with any long exposure shots it’s best to use a tripod. I didn’t have one handy, but I took some of these shots with the camera resting on a picnic table.
Previously
- How to Photograph Fireworks
- First Infrared Pictures with the Hoya R-72 IR Filter
- Infrared Photography Links
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That upper left one looks far too much like a fire/lightning elemental for my comfort…
i had a tripod in the living room….if i had only thought about it.
Get a Gorillapod with the ball head. It’s small enough that I rarely leave it behind, but still very sturdy.
I have belatedly learned of the demise of Kodak Infrared Ektachrome. There really is nothing else to take it’s place.