Fire Breather
Dec, 2017Views
105
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Awards
Winner in Capture the Flames Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
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Behind The Lens
Location
This shot was the first time I worked with Gemma and was shot against a black backdrop in her Garage. She is an experienced performer so the idea of such a confined space did not phase her. There were props and costumes everywhere in the garage so I had to keep the shot tight and clean up a little in post.Time
Shot around midday but since this was studio lighting in a garage, time of day was only important to ensure we were both available. I did not know what to expect when I first rocked up and was amazed how much heat this shot actually generated.Lighting
I lit this with a couple of 500W strobes and balanced this with the flames to just bring out the detail in Gemma's face and the costume with the flames carrying the shot. The light varied with each shot so it added an extra challenge to balance each type of shot in the sequences.Equipment
A trusty Canon 5D Mark III with a 70-200 2.8L and 16-35 2.8L on a Manfrotto tripod was used for the range of shots. To lift the shots I used 2 x 500W studio lights, one with a softbox and the fill with a set of barn doors.Inspiration
I was looking to create a different look to other flame based acts I have seen in the past. I wanted to create a look of the girl swallowed in the flames and have them as the main focus of the shot.Editing
Very little post processing went into this shot, just a little improving the pure black tone in a few areas.In my camera bag
The kit is usually a Canon 5D MKIII, lenses of various sizes between 16mm-200mm with the 16-35mm f2L and 70-200mm f2.8 my favorites. A tripod for those places where light is low and a range of strobes and modifiers for indoor shots. These days I also have a high speed battery strobe and some modifiers that I prefer to use rather than the standard flash.Feedback
The best advise is to have an idea of the concept you want to create and do some practise shots when lighting is mixed and tricky
