Memories Through The Lens
Spark-in Genius Project
Taking a photo of a light bulb with a burning sparkler behind it against a dark background isn't very difficult. However, securing the bulb and the sparkler, placing the largest part of the burning part of the sparkler behind the bulb, determining the right amount of light, managing the reflections on the surface and the post-processing still present their fair share of challenges.
The light bulb is secured using a tiny piece of adhesive putty (Blu-Tack). it needs to be large enough to keep the bulb upright, but small enough to remain (mostly) invisible in the shot. The sparkler is also held in place with putty and is slightly bent so that most of the burning occurs directly behind the bulb.
The aperture must be set so that the light from the sparkler sufficiently illuminates the contours of the bulb. If the photo is too bright, all the details become visible, but the atmosphere is ruined.
Initially, I mounted the bulb and the sparkler on a glass plate placed on a dark wooden table. This produced a beautiful, sharp reflection of the composition. However, the reflection was too distracting, so I created a new version using a brushed aluminum plate as a base. The reflection is still visible, but it is much less prominent.
In the final editing stage, I cleaned up the remaining traces of the adhesive putty and slightly brightened the screw base of the bulb to make it pop.
The final result
