Lockdown marshmallow
An impulsive idea. Created a campfire on the living room table, with some dry wood and leaves. Didn't want to go all in, so I placed the fire in a tin cup....
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An impulsive idea. Created a campfire on the living room table, with some dry wood and leaves. Didn't want to go all in, so I placed the fire in a tin cup.
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Apr, 2020Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
The idea behind the photo was during lockdown and our living room was the only and best suitable place to build a campfire. All the dry leaves and wood on the living room table didn't feel quite sane. So I made a short and controlled fire in a metal container inside the tin cup. We had a fire extinguisher and water just outside the frame!Time
The windows are facing south, towards the sun, and I didn't want to fight a changing ambient exposure. But since this was an impulsive idea I hadn't checked or planned anything ahead. Luckily we got a slight but consistent overcast sky around 3-4PM that day.Lighting
I wanted some light outside to underline the inside feeling. Underexposed the ambient about 2 stops. Used a beauty dish just outside frame as my mainlight. A octagon softbox camera right and a large reflector camera left for fill. And a speedlite with a snoot just right of the models left arm to "freeze" the flames.Equipment
For this photo I used a Canon 7D Mark II with a 70-200mm f/4. Main and fill flash was Godox QT600M II and a 600EX II-RT speedlite. The fire is real but I'm not revealing how and what to avoid anyone experimenting with it because it can go really bad really fast!Inspiration
During lockdown most outdoor activities were cancelled. Campfires usually involves small groups of people fare way from the cities. Maybe that's why I see this photo as a dramatization of the lockdown feeling after the first month. On the other hand there is something cozy about the idea of a campfire in a pajamas with marshmallows indoors.Editing
Started in Lightroom with changes to the color calibration. Increased the Red and Green Primaries Hue to 80 and 70, pulled their Saturations to -40 and -26. The Blue Primary Hue I pulled to -64 and increased the Saturation to 24. Tweaked the Highlights and Shadows color using Split Toning. Then I adjusted the Basics to the look I wanted. Opened the file in Photoshop to remove some blemishes and did some Dodge & Burn.In my camera bag
My bag is always more or less fully packed. There is my Canon 7D Mark II with a Canon 70-200mm f/4, my old Canon 60D body, the Canon 50mm f/1.8II and a Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM. The latter is not especially good at one thing but okay for many things .. like a Swiss Army Knife. I have my tripod and a small bag with two 600EX II-RT and a Godox PB960 Power Pack if needed.Feedback
Any advice for others trying to capture something similar .. Don't! Playing with fire, dry materials, flammable materials and models indoors is very dangerous and requires training by people qualified in this. Even though I have training and have done this several times I'm still learning every time I do this!
