How to Shoot a Burning Light Bulb Filament
Photographer Jon Beard has a terrific set of photos called “Burning Bulbs” in which he breaks lightbulbs and photographs them with the filaments exposed.
This photograph recently became extremely popular on Flickr, amassing over 100,000 views. Beard tells us,
I’m a photographer and computer guy from the mountains of Virginia. My favorite kind of shot is one that gives a person a new perspective. Whether it’s a far away landscape, an unusual angle on something familiar, or a close-up of an everyday item, if it changes the way they see the things around them, it’s a success.
The idea for the 1UP came while going through shots from a broken bulb series I had shot with the intention of adding color. When I saw that one, the mushroom shape was undeniable and as a lifelong gamer all I could see was green with white spots.
Beard has created a great behind-the-scenes video tutorial showing us his process:
If you decide to try out this idea, please be very careful – both electricity and glass can be hazardous to your health.
This project is similar to the Exploding Lightbulbs that Shatter Water tutorial that was posted here a while back by guest author James Davidson.
Image credits: Photographs by Jon Beard and used with permission.
