Exploding Bulb

5D Mk IV – EF 24-70mm F/2.8L II – 1.6 sec, f/11, ISO 100, Spot Meter

It’s great being in the right place at the right time. I heard this light bulb hissing so I set up the camera and ‘BOOM”!

Ok, maybe that’s not exactly the way it went down.Here’s the short version how I did this. I used an amber, old-fashioned style light bulb. I set it up on a glossy black reflective surface. I used a birthday candle sparkler cut down to size a bit. I set the camera to manual mode including manual focus. I used Live View to get the focus right on the element of the bulb. I set the shutter speed to 1.6 seconds, and turned out the lights. I had a remote set up on the camera and I lit the sparkler. I then snapped 12 pics before it went out. I then used a flashlight to illuminate the base of the bulb and took some pics.

I then decided which ‘exploding bulb’ pic I liked best and put that into Photoshop as a layer. I did the same with the other pic of the base. Through the magic of Photoshop, I created the PotW.

Thanks.