Create Atmosphere for Light Beams

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Gerry Bishop
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Create Atmosphere for Light Beams

As you know, the assigned photo theme for June is "Light Beams." And because beams become visible only when they have some "atmosphere" to shine through, they might be hard to come across. (Think of a misty morning with the rays of the sun beaming through the leaves of trees, as in the photo shown below.) That's why we've expanded the topic to include not just light beams of this type but also scenes and objects that are lit by beams of light, as described in the theme statement on the CCC home page.

For those who want to pursue the theme as it was originally described, there are ways to produce the misty, smoky, or dusty atmosphere required for beams of light to become visible. You can burn something inside an enclosed space and create smoke, or you can stir up dust that may be on the floor of an old building, but doing so may not be safe. A good alternative would be to buy or rent a fog machine or, more practically, to buy an aerosol can of "atmosphere" made for photographers. Adorama sells single cans of Atmosphere Aerosol for $16.97 plus shipping, which I'm going to buy and give a try!

Gerry

Gerry Bishop
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You won't see "sun beaming through the leaves of trees" in this photo, because I chose a different photo and didn't correct the copy!

Douglas Smith
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If someone would like to borrow it I have a small smoke machine.. Safe to use... You can pick up at my residence near CATEC.