In this Light Painting Photography Tutorial created by Dana Maltby, a.k.a. TCB you will learn how to wire and operate a light wheel. Dana’s wheel tool is similar to a few other tutorials that you will find here on the website like Nocturne’s Dome Tool video and Andrew Whites Dome Tutorial but if you check out Dana’s Light Painting work you will see he uses this tool in a much different way!
You will need a strand of battery operated christmas lights, duct tape, a wheel.
Position the battery pack inside the spokes, this way the switch will be “the back” of the tool, and the lights will point away from this side.
There was extra wire at the beginning so i taped it up in a bunch.
Keep in mind the switch is on the other side, this is the front. I realized i wanted only 7 of the ten lights, so i taped one light on, and put another (3 down the line) on the opposing side. Meaning between these two are 3 more.
Then i taped light #3 equally between lights #1 and #5. Lights 2 and 4 are still hanging.
With lights 1 – 5 done, you see that only 3 more are needed to complete the wheel.
All done, the spokes helped with the spacing, i ended up putting the lights right next to every third spoke, but kept consistent by sticking to one side of the spokes, for instance, to the left of each third spoke.
You will need to get a handle to attach to the axle. I have used the handles off of paint rollers. Get the cheap skinny kind, you don’t need it wide, you just need the handle. Or drill out a piece of wood, like a dowel, slightly smaller than the axle size, and create your own threading by forcefully turning it into the threads. Both ways work. =)
∆
Thanks earsaregood for the wheel. =)
Testing one
Testing two
Check out more from Dana at TwinCitiesBrightest.com and www.flickr.com/photos/twincitiesbrightest/
We Post cool social media stuff so come on and join us at these links!