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CREATING CIRCLES

There are many different ways to create circles with light painting. The easiest way is to rotate a plastic tube or black string. If you keep swinging the string and turning it in a circle, you get the ball, the so-called orb. There is also a special orb tool for this.

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I picked out a simple variant in which I attached a bicycle rim to a tripod.

You can also simply turn a bike upside down and then use the front wheel.

If I clamp a light to the spokes and then turn the wheel, a great circle of light is created in the long exposure.

The tripod has the advantage that I can move it freely in space and if a second person holds a piece of black cardboard in front of the lens when moving the tripod, you can create any number of clear circles in the image.

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If I turn the wheel and then stop at the horizontal position and then move the height of the tripod, I create a circle that expands horizontally.

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What you need:

  • 1 bike rim without tire (a small wheel is better as it won't get caught on the tripod leg), an axle extension will help to avoid this problem upfront.

  • A clamp to attach the wheel axis to the tripod

  • If you want the wheel to be invisible, simply spray it black

  • 1 height-adjustable tripod, ideally in black, which makes it invisible in the photo. If you work with several people, a monopod is also possible

  • light sources of your choice

  • Duck tape or cable ties to attach the lights to the rim

  • If you work with firecrackers, make sure they point to the outside of the circle and not to the center.

  • Be aware that rockets (firecrackers in general) create centrifugal forces, so make sure you prepare your tripod and protect yourself

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