STUNNING pictures of rings of fire, created by burning steel wool, were taken by a student on a beginners’ camera course.

David MacLean, 44, used long exposures to photograph the motion of hot embers flying through the air. The extraordinary effect is created by stuffing steel wool inside a whisk, setting it alight and circling it in the air. The hot embers glow brightly, and as they fly through the air the camera sensor captures the streaks of light created.

MacLean, from Kilwinning and a telecommunications engineer, attends the basic camera techniques course at Ayrshire College and took the amazing pictures at Ayr Harbour, with the help of his lecturer, Nick Grigg.

MacLean said: “I was so pleased with the way my pictures turned out. The lecturer kept spinning the wool and hitting it off the ground, it was really cool. It looks like fireworks are going off, I was so pleased with how it looked. My lecturer tied wire wool to a piece of string and set the wire wool alight and swung it in a circular motion striking it off the ground.”

MacLean, who attends the camera course weekly, said his interest in photography started after the birth of his son, Harris, three month ago. He and 12 classmates went to the harbour to test out the steel wool photography.