Fire Blowing Ozzy
Apr, 2018Views
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Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
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Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Behind The Lens
Location
On April Fools Day in 2018, I went on a Luminous Lagoon night tour while vacationing in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Fire blowing Ozzy, like I call him was entertaining guest as they exited the boat. I was fascinated by his showmanship and asked if I could take a few photos as he performed. I set up my tripod and made images as Ozzy performed for the tourists.Time
It was challenging to photograph on a moving boat during the luminous lagoon tour. It was night time, fairly dark with the only source of light coming from the boats and the bioluminescence in the water when the tourist jumped in. I remember feeling very discouraged about my failed attempts to photograph tourist as they plugged into the dark lagoon that quickly transformed into a blue florescent pool on contact. Photographing Ozzy made up for my failed attempts on the water by creating a spectacular show on land.Lighting
I wanted to capture every detail in the fire. I metered on the fire, the brightest part which maintained the darkness and the focus was all on Ozzy and his performance. No flash was used just the fire as my source of light.Equipment
Ozzy's performance was created using a Canon 5dsr with a 35mm Canon L lens 1.4 on a tripod at 400 ISO, f1.4, and at 1/1250 shutter speed.Inspiration
When I travel, I find myself drawn to people. Ozzy was taking a break from his previous performance for the tourist as the got off the boat. I spoke to him briefly before he performed for our group. As he performed, it felt like he put on a show for me and I obliged by capturing every spectacular moment of it. As I walked away and put money in his tip jar, I felt happy. Earlier that night, I struggled to photograph tourist splashing around in the blue lagoon. As I photographed Ozzy, a performer who needed to be appreciated and recognized for his gift, my night out felt incredibly fulfilling.Editing
Not much editing was done other than using the detail extractor in the Nik software and basic edit in Adobe Lightroom.In my camera bag
I love my Canon 35mm 1.4! It is perfect on the street and capturing environmental portraits that I really enjoy making. With weight restrictions on many flights, I have learnt to travel pretty light. My Canon 70 to 200mm lens in addition to my 35mm with a Canon 5dsr body are must haves. I also enjoy shooting film and recently, I have been traveling with my Canon AE-1 and my Leica Sofort and pack extra film. Being able to give keepsake in form of images has proved to be very fulfilling on my trips. Light can be challenging sometimes and my canon flash almost feels necessary. Other accessories that I take with me are: lens cleaner, the hurricane dust blower, a remote trigger, photo bank and my self stick. I went on a trip once where I chose to travel without my laptop. I realized downloading and reviewing my photos daily while traveling, kept me inspired and also course correct making images was challenging or unfocussed.Feedback
If you're ever considering on taking a similar image, always remember to meter off the brightest part - the fire. Happy shooting!
