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Fire dragon
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Fire dragon



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Another night on the beach - with a fire dragon and an archer.
Long exposure with an oil-soaked burning rope.

Another night on the beach - with a fire dragon and an archer.
Long exposure with an oil-soaked burning rope.
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cameraNIKON D3300

settings Aperture f/13 ISO 100 Shutter 93/10 Focal Length 230/10 

upload_dateSep, 2017

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9 Comments |
Alwolfe Platinum
 
Alwolfe October 07, 2017
Beautiful photo!
garykavanagh PRO
 
garykavanagh October 10, 2017
Very awesome
SirLeica Ultimate
 
SirLeica October 10, 2017
Wooow, so beautiful .
paulatchinson PRO+
 
paulatchinson March 10, 2020
Hi - this image would be a great entry for my ‘LIGHT PAINTING’ challenge I have recently created.
Could I persuade to give it a go and enter?
The URL is viewbug.com/challenge/light-painting-photo-challenge-by-paulatchinson
To enter Go to my Viewbug Page - click on my avatar image - click on the link to CHALLENGES, then CREATED and choose ‘LIGHT PAINTING’.
I hope you enter and best of luck.
Paul
StolenMomentsCandz
 
StolenMomentsCandz May 16, 2020
Stunning
adiestiano
 
adiestiano December 29, 2020
Cool
UntetheredPhotography Platinum
 
UntetheredPhotography March 16, 2021
Congratulations on the win, amazing photography
mariadelcarmenllavayol
 
mariadelcarmenllavayol March 16, 2021
Wow!!! Felicitaciones. Saludos
MyStyleNZ PRO+
 
MyStyleNZ July 05, 2023
Incredibly Beautiful Photo 😍

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Tags

#s-Gravenhage #Archery #Burning Sky #Den haag #action #arrow #art #artistic #beach #black background #bow #creative #drama #dream #dreamy #female #fight #fire #flame #girl #kijkduin #light painting #lightpainting #long exposure #magic #model #night #people #person #reflection #sand #silhouette #sunset #the hague #unreal #woman
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Behind The Lens

Location

This photo was taken at the beach in The Hague, The Netherlands on a calm evening. After high tide, some salt water was left in a puddle, creating the perfect mirror.

Time

We went to the beach just before sunset and prepared everything. Once the sun was gone, we started shooting. I like to have just a bit of the sky in the background, but since the control of the fire's brightness is limited, it is difficult to balance the light and we had to get it done while there was just the right amount of sunlight left. A few minutes later, the background was black.

Lighting

Apart from the last bit of sunlight in the background, the only light source is the fire. I used an oil-soaked Kevlar rope, attached to two aluminium rods. In order to get some light on the model, the fire could not just stay behind the model, but had to "come forward". Otherwise, the model would appear as a black silhouette (which can also be a nice effect). The exposure was triggered remotely, here it was 9 seconds, during which the model has to stand absolutely still, which is not an easy task when you are holding bow and arrow, ready to fire. She did a great job!

Equipment

This shot was taken with a Nikon D3300 with a kit lens (18-55 mm) on a tripod, attached to a radio trigger. The fire was the only light source (apart from what's left of the sunset). For this shoot I also needed oil, a Kevlar rope, aluminium rods, lighter, gloves, black clothing, etc.

Inspiration

I like to capture the unreal, the unexpected. The long exposure results in an image that the eye cannot see as such. Creating shapes and figures with fire is a fantastic art. Further inspiration came from Barry Elder (Van Elder Photography) and Benjamin von Wong.

Editing

I usually shoot RAW to allow for corrections, but that was barely necessary for this photo. In Adobe Camera Raw I removed two spots where a ghost of my feet became visible. I somewhat increased clarity, shadows and overall exposure of the image.

In my camera bag

I shoot in the studio, on the beach and in a pool, what I pack depends therefore a lot on the kind of shoot. My preferred camera is a Nikon D800 in a hard case with three lenses (85, 24-70, 70-200 mm), triggers, batteries, blank model releases, cables. I often work with flashes (Godox QT600 and TT600, Jinbei HD600, Yongnuo 560III). Before this shoot I had to leave my gear somewhat unattended, so I took less valuable equipment. I therefore used a Nikon D3300 with the kit lens (18-55 mm), a tripod and a remote radio trigger. I also needed oil, a Kevlar rope, aluminium rods, lighter, gloves, etc.

Feedback

To begin with, play it safe! Make sure there's nothing flammable around. If you shoot with a model, make sure the clothing is not flammable and be careful with long hair too. Have water and / or an extinguisher around. A wet towel helps too. Find a model that can hold still (you'd be surprised how difficult that can be). It'll be easier for the model if she/he can sit. Get a good and reliable radio trigger for bulb exposure. The person holding the fire should be wearing black, including a black face mask and black gloves. Use a tripod. Good starting settings for this shoot are RAW, ISO 100, f/13, bulb, but it all depends on the brightness of the fire, the exposure duration and the ambient light. The focus must be fixed, I like the "back-button" option. Ask your model to hold a light, focus and fix the focus. Your model should then stay on the same spot, it may be a good idea to put a marker down. It's also a good idea to repeat the focusing every now and then. From here on it is (safe) playing and experimenting. Change the pose, change the exposure duration (shorter makes life easier), change the position and movement of the fire. Regularly check focus and exposure. Have fun!

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