The WavyWand™ uses the concept of persistence of vision to display images in mid air. To capture the image and motion of the WavyWand™ there are a couple of things that we need to consider to take good photographs. Most of these comments are geared for the novice digital camera user, however they also apply to traditional film photography.

Automatic Mode

Most casual users of digital cameras use only automatic mode for taking photographs. If you attempt to use this mode you will quickly see that you will not capture the entire image displayed on the WavyWand™.

What is happening is the camera is measuring the amount of available light and automatically setting the aperture and shutter speed settings. To capture the entire image of the WavyWand™ we need to keep the shutter open for a longer period of time. This will allow the camera to record more of the motion as the WavyWand™ is moved in front to the camera.

Manual Mode

Many of today’s digital cameras have the ability to manually set the shutter speed in what is called “Shutter Priority Mode”. What this does is allow the user to determine the length of time the shutter will remain open. Yes, this means that you will probably have to dig up your user manual and lookup to see if your camera has the ability to change the shutter speed. Most cameras have this ability in the manual mode. Don’t be scared of the manual mode, you are only taking a picture, and since it is digital if you don’t like it you can always delete it.

Depending on how the individual user waves the WavyWand™ the shutter speed may be different. For most users shutter speeds in the range of 1/10 to 1/3 of a second seem to work best. These shutter speeds are only a starting point and may need to be adjusted.

Adjusting the Shutter Speed

Try to take several pictures with a single shutter speed. If you find that part of the image is missing in the photograph try decreasing the shutter speed (this increases the time that the shutter is open).

If you find that there are multiple images appearing on the photograph try increasing the shutter speed (this decreases the amount of time the shutter is open).

You may find it a bit of a challenge to accurately time your photograph. You may get partial WavyWand™ images or even no image at all. Don’t get discouraged, once you get the hang of it taking good photographs of the WavyWand™ in action will become a breeze.

Using your Flash

If you would like to capture the WavyWand™ in the photograph in addition to the picture being displayed, you will need to use a flash. Using the flash will “freeze” the moving WavyWand™ in air, making the wand appear in the photograph. As the shutter is open for fairly long durations using a flash can add some very interesting effects. Some cameras give you the flexibility to set the flash timing for added effects.

Additional tips:

  • Try to keep a background behind the user and the WavyWand™ dark, the displayed image of the WavyWand™ will be clearer and easier to see in the photograph.
  • Try to wave the WavyWand™ in a very consistent side to side motion.
  • Depending on your camera it may be necessary to set your camera to manual focus. To do this find the manual focus setting in your camera and estimate the distance (in feet or meters) from the camera to the person using the WavyWand™.
  • Try using a tripod or setting the camera on a stationary surface when taking a photograph. As the shutter is open for long periods of time, any moment of the camera will cause the picture to be blurry. If your camera is equipped with a remote control you might want to try using it.

Note: all of the photographs used above were made with an Olympus C-3034 3.1 megapixel camera without any photo editing.

If you have cool images that you would like to share with others you can submit them online.