Writing With Wedding Sparklers

Wedding Sparkler Writing Tips and Tricks

  Wedding Sparkler writing is one of the most fun activities to share with your friends and family.  Whether you are writing with Sparklers during a winter night, at your Wedding, 4th of July or a birthday party, the pictures will be amazing!  Many people are taking full advantage of this project to write or draw anything they wish!

VIP Sparklers is excited to share our knowledge and tips for writing with Sparklers.  We have taken into account the best Sparkler to use, how to light them, write with them, and final touches.

Items Needed
True Wedding Sparklers for clear, smoke-free sparkles
Camera with manual shutter speed
Tripod for Camera

    We begin with the search for true Wedding Sparklers.  Amazing pictures are only made possible with the use of clear sparkles.  Our Wedding Sparklers are perfect for this fun project, and we recommend either our 20inch or 36inch Wedding Sparklers depending on what you wish to draw or write.  With clear sparkles ready to be photographed, we are now in need of a camera with manual shutter speed selection.  Any camera with a manual setting for shutter speed will allow you to photograph Sparkler writing.  You may have to experiment with how long you set the shutter speed for or with the help of someone, you can decide when to close the shutter.  Shutter speed is all about stillness;  a tripod for the camera is ideal to keep the camera in a fixed position.

Wedding Sparklers And Shutter Speed For Writing With Sparklers

  If you decide to set the shutter speed for a specific time, here are a few things to take into account.  For instance, if you decide to set the shutter speed to 15secs, this means that you have 15 seconds to light, write, and jump out of the frame immediately after handing your Sparkler over to your models!  In such a case, we highly recommend using a BBQ lighter to light the Wedding Sparkler instead of matches (take longer).  We had a customer ask us once, "why not light a Sparkler beforehand and use that instead?" Although this is absolutely true, the camera will capture a lit Sparkler walk into the frame and then the writing that follows.  In other words, you will have a streak of sparkle extending away from the Sparkler writing.

  Another great tip is the speed of your drawing! Draw slowly for a thicker Sparkler line and quickly for a thinner Sparkler line.  Depending on how you wish your sparkling lines to turn out, consider the shutter speed.  Feel free to try both thin and thicker lines to estimate a comfortable shutter speed.  We welcome you to have a few test runs with an unlit Sparkler to have a better understanding of the movements required. We best recommend having someone press the shutter speed (both in the beginning and end), someone else draw or write the words, and have another Wedding Sparkler ready to give to the models so it seems they did the drawing.  If they're up for it, by all means let the models have some fun (though it may take a few trials and errors)!

How to Write with Wedding Sparklers

  Generally speaking, you must write from right to left since the camera is facing you and will capture the writing from left to write.  This will take a lot of practice since we're used to writing from left to right (not right to left).  There is one trick that some of our customers used; we always recommend experimenting first or asking your photographer if he/she is comfortable using the following technique.  Simply write using your Wedding Sparkler as you normally would (from left to right) using the proper shutter speed with a final pose for a final still-shot.  Save the image and upload it to your computer (anything you wrote will appear backwards at this time).  If you have software programs similar to Photoshop, you can "mirror" the image and Viola!  Your sparkler writing will appear as perfect as can be!  There are also several online websites that will allow you to upload your image and edit it with the mirror effect (in addition to cropping, lighting, etc.) absolutely FREE! Some of these websites do not require you to create an account, and you can easily download and save your "edited" image immediately to your computer.

Please keep in mind that you will most likely have to write in cursive.  Sparkler writing is a fluent art with no stops;  writing in cursive allows for a consistent sparkle with no breaks, extra lines or accents anywhere on the letters or drawings.  If drawing a shape, we also recommend keeping the shape fluent or simply try to trace over the same "imaginary" line for the best outcome!

Aiming For The Perfect Shot With Sparklers

  Besides having clear lettering, anyone in the shot needs to be as still as possible.  If the models are writing with the Wedding Sparklers, we recommend assigning a letter per person in order to minimize any full body movements (only movement should be in their arms).  At the end of the shot, everyone should be as still as possible for a couple of seconds until the shutter closes.  If there is too much lighting, the camera will capture the moving bodies and record them as blurred.  On the other hand, your camera needs a bit of light to know where to focus.  If no soft light is available, try using a flashlight at a distance (depending on the strength of the light) to offer some guidance.  This will allow the camera to focus on the Sparkle and models.

A Few More Tips For Wedding Sparkler Writing

  Your camera is capturing the light of the Wedding Sparkler in a continuous form.  If at any point you place something in front of the Wedding Sparkler (such as a part of your body), there will be a gap (or interruption) in the stream of light once the shutter closes and finalizes the photograph.

Using higher apertures seem to offer a more defined light of beam.

Make sure you visualize how much room you will need for your entire word or drawing.  Keep in mind the available space in the frame.Be patient, have fun, and practice! We guarantee it will be worth it!  You will feel proud of the work you achieved!