Regular readers may know that I am still coming to grips with the possibilities of digital photography. I’ve had my Olympus DLSR for a little over a year, and am still working my way through its various menus, options and controls. Thus, despite various forms of ‘spinning’ night photography having been popular and many of my insta-mates being highly adept at it, I had not, until this evening, tried it myself.

For those who may be even newer to this than I am, ‘spinning’ refers to twirling, or spinning, a light source, such as led lights, laser pointers or, popularly, burning steel wool which give off sparks. When photographed using long exposures, this action produces patterns of light in the resulting images.

One of those insta-mates, the lovely Carmel from Hobart Snapshot Tours, extended a very kind invitation to me and a number of other local instagrammers to join her for dinner and a spinning session at The Springs, about two-thirds of the way up Mount Wellington / kunanyi, to celebrate the launch of her new evening dinner tour and photography masterclass.

Dinner was a delicious selection of curries, ideal for a cool winters evening at high altitude, served in the stone hut at The Springs, where she had lit a roaring fire to keep the chill away. After dinner we ventured outside where she helped us with settings and then opened her ‘box of tricks’ – various spinning gadgets, lights, lasers, steel wool and ropes. We spent the next couple of hours happily playing and capturing what ever we could. I offer a few modest examples below.

It’s great fun, and if you’d like to have a go, I can recommend Carmen’s services – she’s a knowledgeable and patient teacher, and a wonderful host.

Hobart Snapshot Tours also offers personalised tour guiding and tours around Tasmania –hobartsnapshottours.com.au. You can also find Carmel on Facebook and Instagram.