Steel Wool Light Painting

Xavier Carbonaro '18

My favorite way to paint with light is to use steel wool.  Although it is time consuming and requires a few tools, the results are worth it.  Below are instructions on how to replicate some of the following images.

Tools Needed:

• String

• Egg Whisk

• Fire Extinguisher

• Steel Wool size 000

• Lighter

• Tripod

• Camera

1. The first step is really important.  Find the right area and weather! Since you will be creating sparks, it is important to not choose a dry day near anything flammable

2. Put your camera on the tripod

3. Set your ISO to about 200, your exposure to 15 seconds, aperture to about 5.6, and any white balance you want for varying results

   1. Your settings can vary depending on the time of day or place

4. Cut about three feet of string and attach it to the handle of the egg whisk

5. Open the steel wool and take a small 2-3 inch portion of it

6. Start to pull apart/shred the wool with your hands so it is not compact .  This step should make it very fluffy

7. Take your fluffy steel wool and insert it inside the whisk

8. Have a subject stand in front of your camera and light the steel wool with the lighter

9. Your subject should begin to swing the whisk from the string in any pattern you desire, just be sure to not move the camera

10. After all the sparks fly and are captured through long exposure, make sure there aren't any sparks which created a threat i.e. fire.

How to fill an image of a mirror with another image using photoshop

By Cortney Klein '18

1. Find two images, one of which you want to fill a specific shape or mirror with the other

2. Go onto photoshop and import the two pictures

3. Take one image and select command a, and then command c

4. Click the other image and select command v

5. Unlock “layer one and background” on the right

6. Select the layer that has the image of the mirror

7. On the left select the lasso tool and begin to outline the mirror as precisely as possible

8. For the curvy section around the fingers the lasso is best. You can only do that small section with this tool and then click the remainder of the shape with the tool below the lasso.

9. Delete this section with the delete button on your computer

10. Now your image should be showing in the mirror.

11. Click the background layer to drag the image around into the correct positioning.

12. Export image

How to Make a Creative Cut Up Collage Mashup

By Mia Abromitis '19

To start a photo collage, begin by selecting the desired picture. Photographs with geometric shapes make for interesting patterns, but the possibilities are endless. I selected this picture with geometric white tiles with a back figure walking in the middle.  

There are many options on how to manipulate the image. First, I began by cutting out each rectangle, regardless of whether the figure extends into other boxes. That way, the division of the figure will create a broken up appearance. I made several copies of the picture and only cut out the pieces with the figure, so that I could repeat the figure in a pattern for the collage.

My first inclination was to form a mashup of the pictures on one board, forming a blank space pattern.

Then, I changed the pattern and form. I used one whole picture, and then used solely the pieces with the figure and placed them above the original photo. Either way works, as it is up to the creator to choose which direction works best with their photo(s).  Once the placement is as desired, use a coat of modge podge to paste it down. The messier, the better.

It is finished once the modge podge dries thoroughly.

Tip: To create a weathered look, modge podge the pieces down when the ink is not completely dry. It will pick up some of the ink and give it a worn in, DIY look to it.

Photographing Lakota Wolf Preserve

By Anh Nguyen '18

You’ve probably stumbled upon a picturesque image of a wolf howling in the wild at some point in your life. Many of us, as I was, would be surprised to find out that those pictures are not actually taken in the wild – they usually are taken at wolf preserves.

This fall, a group of Blair Academy students and faculty took a trip to visit the Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia, NJ, the largest preserve in the Northeast United States. Being surrounded by such vast nature, we were fortunate enough to see this sight, and of course, I couldn’t miss out on it; it has always been one of the top items on my photography bucket list to shoot pictures of wolves – they’re so photogenic!

The preserve is run by a couple who raised and care for all the animals, which meant that they are very careful about visitors. Still, the wolves, living in such a stress-free environment, were calm about visitors, and even approached us, making it very easy to take photos. Taking photos only proved difficult because of the fencing secured around their living area – for not only the visitors’ safety but also the wolves’. Personally, I found that taking photos was not a big challenge for me, because I was able to zoom in and blur out the foreground quite a lot with my 75-300mm lens.

However, sometimes I managed to use the fence to my advantage: To make the photo more dramatic or to create shadows.

For professional photographers who are interested, however, the Lakota Wolf Preserve also offers special photography sessions where they open up the fences and a guide will work with the animals to get the best photographs possible. We did not get to do this because it would cost more, but even from outside the fencing, the photographs turned out great.

Overall, it was an amazing experience. I would definitely visit again (perhaps during the winter, where the snow will enhance the photographs of the wolves) and I would highly recommend visiting this place.