Photographing a fire show: preparation
In order to take high-quality photographs, you may need the following equipment:
— a tripod (be sure to take it with you, the rest of the items on the list are optional)
- telephoto (this is a long lens, for example 50-200mm, in addition to the pant lens)
- on-camera flash
— radio synchronizers (why you need radio synchronizers you can read here
Dragon's Breath (spit and kerosene fumes)
If you are shooting a fire show, then it is better to set the camera to manual shooting mode, which will allow you to control shutter speed, aperture and ISO and do not forget to turn on autofocus tracking (if it has one). When photographing spit (as in the photo above), it is important to capture the moment and preserve the texture of the fire. To “freeze” the fire, the shutter speed should be very small, on the order of 1/200 - 1/1000, the ISO value should not be raised above 800 to avoid strong noise, and the aperture value is selected experimentally; usually good shots are obtained with an open aperture of the order of f/ 2.0-5.6
It is better to shoot on a telephoto camera - this will allow you to take good shots from a safe distance and will not splash you and your camera with splashes of kerosene. If you do take photographs close up, do not forget to put a protective filter on the lens. In this case, there is no need for an on-camera flash - the light from the fire is enough to illuminate the fireman. When filming spitting, try to capture as much space as possible in the frame, because you never know to what height the flame will burst from the artist’s mouth.
Fire trails
In order to accurately remove the fire plume, you will need a tripod. Before starting shooting, it is preferable to agree with the fireman about the shape of the plume that you will be shooting and choose the right angle. It’s better to shoot at a wide angle so that the entire train fits into the frame, and if necessary, you can crop the photo. Usually I set the shutter speed from 1/3 to 3s and the aperture f/5.6-8.0, it depends on the brightness of the fire, the speed of rotation and the duration of the fireman drawing fire plumes.
When shooting fire trails, there are two options: when the fireman is not visible or only his silhouette is visible, as in the photographs above, or when you illuminate the fireman with an on-camera flash.
In this case, it is better to place the flash not on the camera, but on a stand, lighting it using radio synchronizers, creating side light, as in the photographs above (the flash must be switched to manual mode and the required power must be selected in advance in order to well illuminate the performing fireman).
Sometimes the trains form bizarre shapes, for example in the photo below it seems to me that a fiery bird is depicted
In conclusion, I would like to say that it is worth photographing in RAW format, which provides significant possibilities when processing photographs, starting from setting white balance, ending with adjusting exposure and overexposure.
Good luck with your shots!
Fire show Stilt walkers Show for a weddingHow to photograph a fire show correctly?
In order to shoot fantastic and exciting fire shows, it is not enough to have a professional camera with a huge number of settings and filters. In addition, you also need to know the basic techniques and rules of shooting of this kind, which will help turn each photo into a real work of art.
The first thing you need to do is protect yourself and your digital device. The fact is that during work you may get exposed to a flammable substance or a spark. A jacket made of fire-resistant material, as well as a special protective case for photo or video equipment, are suitable for this.
There are several basic photography techniques. Here are the main ones.
Flowers from fire
The most important thing for this technique is to correctly calculate the moment of exposure so that the flight path of the poi is long enough. You also can’t overcook it, as the result will be porridge. It is recommended to shoot from a tripod. On average, the shutter speed should be somewhere around a second. Next, we set the required aperture and work with the exposure to obtain a sufficiently contrasting and bright photograph.
Dragon's Breath
The dragon's breath, or fire breath, is captured using the burst function. To do this, you initially need to focus on the face of the person who is performing the trick, and then we start the series before the moment the spitting begins. ISO should be minimal, aperture should be half-closed or completely closed.
Pyrotechnics
To catch a fiery “pattern” using various pyrotechnic means, you need to pay special attention to endurance. The aperture should be closed or semi-closed, ISO should be in the range from 100 to 400. The best shots are obtained at the beginning of the number, since the shooting is not interfered with by smoke.
A year ago, a turner I knew mentioned metal wool and how it polishes wood perfectly. This spring I remembered his words and began to look for where this miracle was sold. While I was looking for cotton wool on the Internet, I came across amazing photos of cotton wool burning. The material turned out to be dual-use. You can polish it, or you can light it beautifully. It turned out that cotton wool is sold only in one chain of construction supermarkets - OBI. There, a 200-gram package of cotton wool cost 279 rubles, which, in my opinion, is not so expensive. Officially in the store, the cotton wool is called “wool” LUX for polishing, steel.”
When I opened the package, the material appearance reminded me of a metal frying pan sponge. The only difference is that only the wool fibers are very thin. I immediately conducted an experiment: I tore off a small piece of wool and tried to set it on fire in an ashtray. A beautiful light ran through the cotton wool and went out. When stationary, the cotton wool refused to burn. The packaging lay in the closet until the end of July, when my adult daughter and her friends arrived at the dacha. To prevent the older children from getting bored with their iPhones, it was decided to organize a “cotton show” in the evening.
All that remained was to make a cotton wool twister. The fat one went into action copper wire, from which a spiral holder for cotton wool was bent. A nylon rope about a meter long is tied to the holder.
How to photograph a fire show
In the evening it was full of fire: my daughter and her friends were unwinding the fire, and I was filming the whole action.
You need to photograph the wool frieze light from a tripod. We wait until it gets dark. In manual mode, set the shutter speed on the camera to 5 seconds, close the aperture as much as possible to increase the depth of field.
The fire show is filmed from 5–10 m, this is a safe distance where sparks cannot reach. When the fire spins, the performer of the stunt is safe; sparks are scattered around him by centrifugal force. If a burning piece of cotton wool falls into the grass, it goes out almost immediately. But safety precautions must be observed: you must wear a hat such as a baseball cap and glasses, just in case. It is recommended to unwind the fire when dew falls or after rain.
It is better to shoot a fire show in the evening, when it starts to get dark. Before it gets dark, the shutter speed should be shorter, 1–2 seconds.
They unwind the fire in front of them, or above their heads, or in a figure eight... The picture always turns out different. The cotton wool in the holder must be set on fire from both ends, otherwise an unburned piece remains, which flies out of the holder and goes out on the ground.
At the beginning of August, my daughter and I made an outing to a neighboring village. There was a wonderful abandoned cowshed and a fire pond there. The daughter lit a fire in the barn, sparks flew spectacularly off the concrete walls, mysteriously illuminating the concrete “cave.” It was possible to film in the barn during the day. At sunset we approached the fire pond. The water in it was 12 degrees, my daughter flatly refused to get into the water. So I had to spin the fireball over the water. An interesting effect was discovered here: the sparks that fell into the water were reflected from its surface, bouncing on a cushion of steam.
A fire show can be given to a friend for his birthday, however, only if he is going to celebrate it at the dacha. Hotels and holiday homes can entertain tourists with such a show; I think vacationers will want to repeat this in the evening after dinner at the hotel. And most importantly, take away a gorgeous photograph as a souvenir.
Material from the magazine "Your Own Master".
We present to the attention of the sympathetic reader an article, which, in essence, is the third edition of the text “How I shoot poi.” The article corrects some inaccuracies, describes the author's recent experience in the field of photographing fire shows, and also adds funny epigraphs and colorful illustrations.
Introduction.
crawl quietly
snail on the slope
Fuji
Issa.
translation Alexey Andreev.
On October 29, back in 2005, I was lucky enough to be with a camera for the first time at a real fire show (organized in Moscow by the well-known Chuchka) on the occasion of Halloween. My passion for photography at that time was very amateur in nature. And the entire arsenal of photographic equipment consisted of an advanced (for those times) Canon G5 digital point-and-shoot camera and a small tabletop tripod.
Photo 1. Chelovin, Tsvetnoy Boulevard, 10/29/2005.
Canon G5, tripod. F3.5, 5 sec., ISO50.
Photographic equipment.
The only thing that touched the soul was the giant
chromatic aberrations of the lens.
Quote book of the HE photo club.
When photographing fire shows I use the following technique:
Cameras:
Canon EOS 350D + Canon BG-E3 battery pack
Canon EOS 40D
Flash:
Canon Speedlite 430EX
Lenses:
Canon EF50 f/1.4
Canon EF24-70 f/2.8L
Canon EF70-200 f/4L
Sigma 12-24 f/4.5-5.6 EX DG ASP HSM
To begin with, I will try to describe the main advantages and disadvantages of the presented photographic equipment, mainly from the point of view of fire show photography.
EOS camera 350D.
When I was choosing a camera, I was faced with a choice: buy a 20D with a “kit” lens or, for the same money, a 350D with an EF17-85/f4-5.6. I settled on the second option and did not regret my choice until one day I borrowed a Canon 20D from a friend for a couple of hours of shooting.
The main disadvantages of the camera (mainly compared to the 20-30-40D line) are the following:
Canon BG-E3 battery pack.
Personally, I really like it for only one prosaic reason: it makes it much more convenient to hold the camera in your hands. However, the ability to charge two standard batteries (or 6 AA batteries) into the camera at once cannot be considered unnecessary.
EOS 40D camera.
I got this camera relatively recently, in January 2008. With its appearance, the Canon 350D moved into the category of “everyday point-and-shoot cameras.” It is worth noting, by the way, that the 350D copes with this function perfectly, and now the small size and weight of the camera have turned out to be its undeniable advantages.
At the time of writing this text, the 40D camera has fully lived up to the expectations placed on it. The control system, based on two wheels, after some getting used to (about 3-4 dynamic reports) turned out to be very convenient. 6.5 frames per second in burst mode suits my needs quite well. Autofocus, while not perfect, is much more accurate than the 350D described above. In addition, with the advent of this camera, I finally understood why the autofocus tracking mode is needed and now I photograph all reports in this mode. It is also very convenient that the sensitivity change step (ISO) of the Canon 40D is 1/3 of a step.
Flash, Canon 430EX.
The most common flash, simple and convenient. Once I attached Velcro to it and cut a homemade reflector out of a plastic stationery folder, it became an indispensable item in my photography kit. Compared to the older model (580EX), it takes a little longer to recharge, the power output is weaker, and it lasts for fewer frames in a burst. Pay twice to eliminate these shortcomings more money I considered it unreasonable, which I have never seriously regretted.
Photo 2. Canon 430 EX flash with a plastic reflector.
Telephoto lens, 70-200 f/4L.
Wonderful lens! It is distinguished by stunning sharpness at all aperture values, as well as relatively low weight and size. Under normal conditions daylight I couldn't ask for anything more, but it's too dark for shooting a fire show. And the lack of a stabilizer does not allow you to successfully use shutter speeds longer than 1/100-1/150 s. However, using flash, I was able to achieve good results with this lens. In addition, it is great for shooting fire spits (and from a safe distance).
Photo 3. Phoenix Fire Theater. Flama. Pl. Yauz Gate, 09/01/2006.
Canon 350D, EF70-200/4L, F4, 1/125 c. ISO1600, flash with reflector.
Fifty dollars, EF50 f/1.4.
This lens has an outstanding price/size/aperture ratio. And also “ringing” sharpness at f/2.8 and more. On a camera with a cropped matrix, it turns into a typical “portrait”.
The main disadvantage stems from its advantage - the lack of zoom. In addition, despite the hood (in general, I use all my lenses only with a hood), I have repeatedly been caught catching disgusting green hares. It looks “soapy” on open apertures. But the aperture! If you need to shoot at least something in the dark, then, including “zooming with your feet,” fifty dollars has no available alternatives. In general, fifty dollars is the same crowbar against which there is no remedy. In addition, it is with fifty dollars that the autofocus of both my cameras works most accurately and quickly. This may be due to the good aperture of the lens and the low mass of the focusing lens group.
And a little more from the area of more subtle matters. Actually a fixed lens focal length, by definition, is not very convenient for reportage photography. However, most of I managed to get successful photos of fire with this lens. How and why? I cannot answer this question unequivocally. Either it’s the “fix addiction” that is gradually developing in me, or “fifty dollars seems to discipline me” © (Stepan Komarov) and makes me think more about the composition of the frame. But, one way or another, this is a fact.
Photo 4. Phoenix Fire Theater. Bahram. Club named after Jerry Rubina 03/1/2008.
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F2.0 1/50 s, ISO1000.
Staff, Canon EF24-70 f/2.8L.
The most expensive, heaviest and respectable lens in my arsenal. It feels soapy on open apertures. But starting from f/4, it becomes no worse than fifty dollars. Suitable, in general, for all types of shooting. Sometimes I miss the wide angle with it. Deep down in my heart I dream of a camera with a full-size sensor, with which everything will fall into place. For shooting fire shows, it is the second most convenient, after fifty dollars. And in situations where there is enough light, it is even preferable.
Wide angle, Sigma 12-24 f/4.5-5.6 EX DG ASP HSM.
In fact, on a camera with a cropped sensor this lens is not really needed, since Canon has an excellent EF-S 10-22 f/3.5–4.5 for about the same money. I bought Sigma solely with an eye to full frame, there are no alternatives with similar focal lengths. The lens stands out for its excellent geometry, as well as an abundance of chromatic aberration and blurring in the corners of the frame. Additionally, this lens doesn't handle bright backlight very well. But at f/8 it looks quite decent in terms of sharpness. It is quite difficult to use it for shooting fire shows. Mainly due to its low aperture ratio. Perhaps you can experiment with this lens when shooting spit. Whenever I feel like it thrills, I'll definitely try this.
Photo 5. Phoenix Fire Theater, Zhenechka.
Festival of Fire Theaters Eastfire, Kharkov, 05/25/2008.
Canon 350D, Sigma 12-24 f/4.5-5.6 EX; F7.1 1/400c, ISO400, flash.
I would like to note that the presented small review is in no way intended to advertise Canon photographic equipment. It just so happened that I became the owner of a photo system from this particular company. I am sure that an attentive reader will be able to easily find similar equipment from other famous manufacturers and will easily draw appropriate analogies.
Fire show photography practice.
Hunting the fire dragon (spitting).
It is important to capture the moment and correctly convey the texture of the flame. The first point is responsible for serial shooting and reaction. I usually get 5-7 frames in a series (in 6.5 frames per second mode). And the reaction is perfectly trained by regular exercises in CS 1.6.
Photo 6. Bolotnaya Square, 05/25/2007.
Canon 350D, EF50/1.4; F4.0 1/1600 s, ISO800.
To ensure that the structure of the fire is shown correctly, I usually photograph the spittle with the following settings: f/2.8-4 1/800-1/2000 s., ISO400-800. I used to sometimes use "fast sync" flash. But the flash is only needed to illuminate the spitter. Naturally, it cannot influence the fire in any way. Now I have completely abandoned this idea and photograph spitting without flash.
Photo 7. Pavel_Sokol, pl. Yauz Gate, 08/18/2006.
Canon 350D, EF17-85/4-5.6; F5.6 1/2000 s, ISO800, flash.
As for the angle, I would divide all photos of spitting into two categories. In the first case, the photographer tries to make the entire torch fit into the frame (fire dragon hunt). A standard lens and fifty dollars are well suited for this.
Photo 8. Hedgehog, Bolotnaya Square, 05/25/2007.
Canon 350D, EF50/1.4; F4.0 1/1000 s, ISO800.
In the second case, the photographer (often armed with a telephoto lens) films the spitter close up. Trying to capture the expressive grimace of the poister while spitting.
Photo 9. Trorin. Bolotnaya Square, 04/11/2008.
Canon 40D, EF70-200/4; F4.0 1/800 s, ISO400.
My shooting goes like this. I see a man who, having filled his mouth with kerosene, is about to spit. At this point, I quickly switch the camera to the desired mode. The Canon 40D camera has very convenient “custom modes”, one of which I have configured specifically for shooting spit. Focusing on the spitter's head, I calmly watch him and at the right moment press the shutter button. If the spitter is moving, then the task becomes more complicated: in this case, the autofocus tracking mode helps a lot. When framing, you should take into account the direction of the spit and leave room for it in the frame.
In addition, it should be remembered that not all kerosene burns when spit. A certain amount of it, in the form of an aerosol, is dispersed in the air and falls on the curious photographer, as well as on the front lens of his lens. Therefore, when photographing spitting, it is advisable to put a protective filter on the lens.
Portraits.
Take off high-quality portrait Painting with fire is, in my opinion, the most difficult task for a photographer. The main problem we have to face is inaccurate camera focusing. It is clear that in an ideal case, the eyes and face of the poster should be in focus. But in practice it is very difficult to obtain such a portrait. And this is not just a matter of low-quality camera automation and insufficient qualifications of the photographer (which, of course, also occurs). Darkness, crazy light, constant movement of the fire poster and extreme aperture values at which the depth of field is minimal lead to the fact that approximately 2/3 of frames that are quite successful in composition and correctly exposed turn out to be blurry due to focusing errors. With the advent of my 40D, the percentage of sharp frames increased noticeably, but this did not fundamentally solve the problem.
In the community ru_poi There are a few people I almost can't photograph doing the fire dance because they move too fast. And if occasionally I manage to do this, it is only thanks to an accidental autofocus hit and gigabytes of deleted out-of-focus frames.
Photo 10. Cool Jackdaw, Empty Hills 2008. Kaluga region. 06/14/2008.
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F2.2 1/160 s, ISO1000.
Standard parameters when shooting portraits are: ISO800-1600, f/2.0-4, shutter speed 1/50-1/250 s, burst shooting mode, focusing in tracking mode. I always shoot fire shows in fully manual mode (M). Specific values of exposure pair and sensitivity are selected “locally” based on own experience, vague light meter readings and permanent control of the footage on the LCD screen.
Usually, with a dark background, successful portraits are obtained when the exposure meter shows from -1.5 to -2 exposure stops, but this is quite arbitrary. In some well-lit alleys in the center of Moscow, the background is light. Then the exposure meter readings should be close to zero. When shooting portraits, fire is always overexposed. The difference in brightness between the fire and the poster's face is too great. Unfortunately, I don’t know how to take a shot so that the texture of the flame is preserved and the face is sufficiently illuminated. The brightness of the poster's face is key. Exposure errors in other parts of the frame are not as noticeable. When determining the exposure, you should pay attention that as the light burns, the brightness of the food decreases, so the shutter speed must be gradually increased (or the aperture slightly opened).
Photo 11. Realsnitch, pl. Yauz Gate, 10/31/2006
Canon 350D, EF50/1.4; F2.0 1/125c, ISO800.
As a rule, I try to shoot poi while they are bright - in the first 1-1.5 minutes of burning. You can use a shutter speed longer than 1/50 s, but only if the poster is motionless or moving very slowly. Setting an aperture larger than f/2.0 makes sense only in extreme cases, when there is absolutely not enough light. Because at the same time, “there is simply no depth of field” (© Kolya U), and the number of hits in focus is very small.
Previously, when I shot fire shows with the Canon 350D, I used center point focusing in one shot mode. All experiments with manual focusing, as well as focusing in tracking mode, did not give successful results. With the advent of the Canon 40D, I began to use the “servo” autofocus mode (ai servo), and now I photograph all reports (not only fire shows) this way. Sometimes I use the side focus points by switching them with the joystick. There is an opinion that the side points are not as accurate as the center point. I can neither confirm nor deny this statement. But, if there is no special need, I still try to use the center point.
Photo 12. Phoenix Fire Theater. Klima. Shukinskaya, 10/27/2007
Canon 350D, EF50/1.4; F2.5 1/100c, ISO800.
You can use flash when taking portraits. To ensure that the flash does not “kill” the light from the fire, I set it to either compensation -1, -2 steps, or in manual mode to a power of 1/64, 1/32. Specific values are selected experimentally, taking into account the distance to the torque. If the flash power is set in manual mode, then it must be adjusted when the distance to the subject changes.
Photo 13. Dryad, Festival of Fire Theaters Eastfire, Kharkov, 05/25/2008.
Canon 350D, Sigma 12-24 f/4.5-5.6 EX; F7.1 1/500c, ISO400, flash.
The main problem that arises when using a flash is the discrepancy between the color temperatures of the flash light and the fire. Because of this, the poster illuminated with a flash turns out to be pale, and the fire turns out to be strongly red. It is difficult to correct such a discrepancy using Photoshop. In addition, fire shows are usually held outdoors. For this reason, it is impossible to use flash to the ceiling. And if you point the flash head-on, its light destroys the shadows and the portrait loses volume. Although a reflector reduces this effect, it does so only partially and only when photographing at close range (3-4 m). For these two reasons, lately I gave up using flash and began to be content only with the light that the burning poi emitted.
Photo 14. Kolya U, Festival of Fire Theaters Eastfire, Kharkov, 05/24/2008.
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F4 1/1000 s, ISO400.
Simple luck - someone else's flash, which accidentally illuminated the model from the side, created a very interesting effect.
Quite interesting results can be achieved using two flashes. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this article, I was not able to properly test the method of photographing fire shows with two flashes.
In those modest experiments that I managed to carry out, a Speedlite 580EX was used as the main (master) flash, and a Speedlite 430EX as the second (slave). At the same time, the 580EX played the role of a synchronizer, not giving a light pulse during exposure. The slave flash was given to the assistant and used as a side flash or a back flash.
Photo 15. Ain-raelin. pl. Yauz Gate, 05/03/2008
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F3.5 1/250c, ISO1000, back flash.
Assistant – Stepan Komarov (flash).
Pyropoi.
Photographing pyropoi is quite difficult. In addition to the problems mentioned above, two more arise when photographing pyropois. Firstly, any pyrotechnics burn much faster than ordinary fires. Secondly, when burning pyropoies, it forms huge amount smoke, which reduces the contrast of the image and also complicates focusing.
When photographing fireweeds, keep in mind that they usually burn brighter than regular fireweeds. It’s easier to get a beautiful shot in the first few seconds of burning fires, when there is not a lot of smoke.
Photo 16. Phoenix Fire Theater. Klima. Helovin, park on Shchukinskaya, 10/31/2007
Canon 350D, EF50/1.4; F2.8 1/125c, ISO800.
Fire flowers.
In order to get a high-quality fire flower, you need a tripod and a remote control (cable). The standard parameters for photographing flowers are approximately the following. ISO200-400, f/5.6-8.0, shutter speed 1/2-2.5 sec. The exact values depend on the background brightness and the rotation speed of the image. It is advisable to agree in advance with the twister about the shape of the flower, choose a background, and an angle.
Photo 17. Brainless. pl. Yauz Gate, 05/19/2006
Canon 350D, EF17-85/4-5.6; F7.1 2 s, ISO400, tripod, remote control.
Processing.
I'm all for photography as an expression
your thoughts - that is, for Photoshop.
Quote book of the HE photo club.
In this section we will talk about some of the intricacies of processing a digital image (file) using a computer.
When photographing fire shows, I save photos in RAW format. The capabilities of the RAW format are many times wider than those of JPG. I highly recommend photographing fire shows (and everything else too) in RAW format. I process RAW files with Adobe programs Lightroom v.2.0.
The main subtlety, and it is also an advantage when working with the RAW format (in relation to fireshow photography) is the ability to set the desired color temperature after the frame has already been taken. The correct color temperature is selected experimentally for each frame. Typically its values fall within the range of 2200-3300K. Of course, selecting the color temperature for each frame separately is a very labor-intensive task, but the result is worth it. The main criterion for me when choosing a color temperature is the color of the fire (not too cold) and the color of human skin. With this approach, the background often turns out with a strong blue bias. If the fire show takes place in a illuminated place, then such a background negatively affects the perception of the photograph, and reasonable compromises have to be sought. If the background in the photograph is dark, then you can achieve desired result. And individual elements in the background (lanterns and car lights), if necessary, can simply be removed in Photoshop (for example, with the “healing brush” or “clone stamp” tools).
Photo 18. Phoenix Fire Theater, Bakhrama, 05/04/2008
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F2.5 1/160c, ISO1250. BB 2700K.
Usually, when setting the color temperature, I try to achieve suitable colors so that I don’t have to edit them at subsequent stages of processing. However, this is not always possible. In this case, channel-by-channel level correction helps. This can be done both in Photoshop and in a RAW converter.
Since when photographing fire shows, as a rule, you have to use high sensitivity values, the amount of noise in the photographs is large. To combat noise, when converting RAW you have to set the noise reduction values to maximum. In addition, you often have to use the “Reduce Noise” filter in Photoshop. However, if photos are just published on the Internet, there is no point in getting too carried away with noise suppression. Because, after all the manipulations with the file, you still have to do a resize, during which a significant part of the noise will be destroyed by itself.
It is often necessary to correct some exposure errors. This can be done when converting a file from RAW. But it should be remembered that as the exposure increases, the noise level in the shadows increases significantly.
Photo 19. Vorson. Festival of Fire Theaters Eastfire, Kharkov, 05.24.2008.
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F2 1/100c, ISO1000. BB 2700K.
When publishing a photo online, it makes sense to slightly increase the contrast of the photo. In addition, I frame all my photographs. The simplest frame is made with the “Canvas Size” tool, but even this significantly improves the impression when viewing a photo.
In order to post a photo online, it must be compressed and reduced in size. I use Photoshop's Image Size tool, usually setting it at 800 pixels along the long side. When saving a file, I set the Quality value to 10. Usually, the final file size does not exceed 200 KB, which is quite acceptable.
In addition, I always put my signature on photographs published online. Anything that appears freely available on the Internet immediately ceases to be the property of the author. Of course, a caption on a photograph will not save you from illegal publication in print (and non-print) media.
Often, all sorts of sites take photographs from other people’s personal pages and use them for their design. However, not everyone indicates the authorship. And only a few people deign to inform the author of the photo that his photos are posted there. Therefore, it often turns out that the only indication of the authorship of a photograph can be a small original signature in the corner of the frame. As a rule, site administrators are lazy and will not get rid of it unless absolutely necessary.
Photo 20. Honkytonk. Pencil, scanning, Photoshop.
Composition.
Beauty, if it is real, is the meaning.
And she doesn’t need any other content.
A. Lapin.
What can you say about frame composition when photographing fire shows? Yes, everything is the same that applies to composition in all other reportage photography. Photographing a fire show is distinguished only by the abundance of all sorts of difficulties associated with poor and inconsistent lighting, as well as the rapid and, sometimes, completely unpredictable movement of the object in the frame.
During a fire show, you have to take hundreds of shots, of which only a few are successful. In my practice, out of 15-20 shots, usually 5-6 are technically successful, and only one of them is published on the Internet.
In reality, the photographer makes his choice twice. The first time when he presses the shutter button and the second time when he selects the very same material from the pile of footage. good shot. Moreover, if when photographing a dynamic report the photographer is sometimes given a split second to make a decision, then when analyzing the footage there is enough time to think and analyze the photograph from all sides. Therefore, the second choice is much more important and responsible than the first. It is not enough to take a successful shot - you also need to find it, see it, and then correctly present it to the viewer.
Photo 21. Dryad. Strogino, 09/08/2008.
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F2.2 1/125c, ISO1000.
Many shots of dancing with fire do not necessarily need to be photographed in reportage mode. You can simply approach the poster, negotiate with him and direct the desired plot. Some posters often start posing themselves when they see a photographer next to them. Of course, there are things that are impossible to deliver, or at least very difficult. But for most plots you just need to use your imagination.
When photographing fire shows, the artistic component of photography is quite large, while the documentary component, on the contrary, is usually not of decisive importance. At least for me. What difference does it make whether this or that shot is staged, or whether it was the result of a stunning and completely incredible coincidence of circumstances? Much more important is emotional impact the effect it has on the viewer. After all, the most important thing in a good photograph is that it is beautiful!
Photo 22. Fire Theater “Phoenix”. Klima, Natasha, Zhenechka. Pl. Yauz Gate, 02/07/2008.
Canon 40D, EF50/1.4; F3.2 1/200c, ISO1000.
Finally, I’ll talk about some little tricks in the field of composition when photographing fire shows.
Photo 23. Empty Hills 2007. Kaluga region. 06/11/2007.
Canon 350D, EF50/1.4; F1.8 1/40c, ISO800.
Conclusion.
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