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davidac

Fire by Night

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

settings

Aperture f/22 ISO 1000 Shutter 15/1 Focal Length 32/1

upload_date

Feb, 2017

Views

1005

Likes

+57

Awards

Contest Finalist in Exposures Marketplace Project

Contest Finalist in Blurry Captures Photo Contest

Peer Award

Outstanding Creativity

Top Choice

Absolute Masterpiece

All Star

Superb Composition

Top Ranks

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Behind The Lens

Location

Our local beach is an ideal spot for spinning sparks, as there's plenty of space ... and nothing to catch fire form a stray cinder, or two

Time

Sunset and sunrise are ideal times for fire orb photos. Sunrise, in particular is great. There's rarely anyone around, apart from a few hardy surfers looking for new breaks ... and of course, the occasional mad photographer spinning a dog lead around and trailing sparks everywhere.

Lighting

I've seen lots of fire orb photos taken at night and I wanted something a little different. The graduated light at dawn or dusk, particularly when there's heavy cloud cover, shows up more of the surrounding scene, while still allowing for long exposures.

Equipment

My usual kit consists of a sturdy tripod, Canon 5D Mk III, a handful of lenses (usually the trusty 24-105mm that came with the camera) and a remote trigger, so I can get into position before starting the shot... and a torch and good rock boots are an essential for clambering over rocks at the water's edge.

Inspiration

I had been working on a series of night-time fire-twirling photos and had gone down to the beach, to try to get some more. Through a slight miscalculation, I'd managed to turn up nearly an hour early and was casting about for a good way to pass the time, so I thought I'd try a couple of practice shots ... and this was the result.

Editing

I usually make some small adjustments, using Aperture or, more recently, Photos. I like to boost saturation a little and usually also apply a curves adjustment. With this shot, I upped the Black Point a little and also added a hint of polarisation.

In my camera bag

I'm not a very good planner and organiser, so my bag has a bit of everything in it most of the time. I only have a single camera body, but always try to carry a spare battery and a bunch of memory cards. Depending on weather and time, I usually have the kit 24-105mm lens on the camera, wiht a Sigma 140-400mm long zoom on stand-by. I have a Sigma 20mm prime for low-light and night-time shots and a Canon 13mm fisheye for variety. That's a fairly hefty carry, but I'll usually find room for a laptop and tripod to round off the load.

Feedback

Take your time. Play around. Have fun... and wear gloves, if you're using a steel cable to spin your fire source around (you can get some shocking blisters if you're not careful).

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davidac

davidac

Fire by Night

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow davidac

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