I have just started B&W photography at university as a subject for my design course. I woul like as many tips, references or ideas on how to photograph fire. I am keeping it very simple, i.e candles on a B exposure moving around etc.. This would be much appreciated.

Thank you

Jamie.S

-- Jamie Strachan (jamiestrachan@hotmail.com), March 25, 1998

Answers

No answer to this. Tell me of your fire results -- am curious to do the same.

-- Red Spirit (nagiluta@netscape.net), April 25, 1999.

Some random thoughts:

Photographically, fire is light. Light itself is interesting (try photographing a candle flamed as a subject in its own right, which will need a very brief exposure), and the effect on the objects around it (eg a hand near the flame).

Take a piece of paper at night in your back yard, set it on fire, and photograph it. (Take appropriate safety precautions, of course.)

Fireworks.

An open-hearth fire.

This might lead to an exploration of shadows.

-- Alan Gibson (Alan.Gibson@technologist.com), April 26, 1999.

I have done a fair amount of fireplaces, forges, bonfires, etc. I found two key things to check. If you want the fire/flame to look "normal" it requires the proper exposure, which means metering the fire light.In many cases this may require a spot meter or small angle measurement, since the flame may only occupy a small part of the frame. It is one of the cases where autoexposure doesn't alway work well. Second, the scene is often high contrast, and with a wide brightness range. This can be a problem for some color transparency film. How you deal with this depends on the subject of the photo. Again, spot metering of different parts of the scene can help, but with care, it isn't mandatory, and with practice you will develop a feeling for the best exposure. Burning film is the best way to learn. Have fun.

-- Richard Newman (rnewman@snip.net), April 27, 1999.

Suggestions on Fire Photography

Keep in mind that fire is unpredictable and is often shifting in exposure. Metering off of the fire will really not do you reliable good so let's work with an Exposure Factor. (Side Note: I do however recommend you write down what your meter suggest and compare it to your photos after they are developed. It will start to give you a better eye for fire using your meter as a guide.)

Set your aperture for F/4. Now let's build the fraction. Place 4 over your film speed. If your film speed it ISO 100 then it would be 4/100. The resulting 1/25 is now your shutter speed. This is just a starting shutter speed. If the flames are good, then bracket with your aperture or shutter speed depending on if you want depth of field or action. I would bracket at least 2 stops either way. TAKE NOTES and keep in mind the size of your fire for future fire photography.

If you want to stop the flame in action, buy fast film like 800 ISO. Keep in mind that the fraction for this would be 4/800 = 1/200 of a second. Pick the shutter speed on your camera that is closest to this. 1/250 should stop the flame.

If you are photographing someone doing poi, go for a slower shutter speed so you can get the streak of the flame. Albeit, when your transparency goes clear, remember, there is no going back to color. A tripod is helpful in this case but not really necessary.

If you have a subject that is not being lit by the fire, use a flash to light it. Remember to have your shutter speed at or below sync speed. If you are not sure what your camera syncs at try 1/60 or look it up on the Internet. Your subject that is being lit by the flash only will be sharp as the strobe fires off at about 1/10,000 of a second or faster.

Hope this is what you are looking for. If not - repost with greater details.

-- Say! (sayartlover@yahoo.com), September 14, 2002.