Your thoughts, please. (Fire spinner event)

theeph · Apr 7, 2012

I recently went to a friends local event/party and took a few pictures. I wasn't there to take picture so all I had with me was my T3i and a 50mm 1.8 lens. I like the way they came out, but with limited, uncontrolled light it was hard for me to get real clean shots. I would love your opinions and critiques on the following.

Note: I am still very new to Lightroom so the pictures have been barely touched. Most just a raise in clarity.
Note: The pictures that usually come from these types of shots are usually done with a slower shutter speed, to catch the design of the spinners, I intentionally tried to avoid this and instead capture the flames and artists in more of a pose while still showing movement.

Photo #1: 1/50, 2.8, 800. Joe was incredibly elegant when he spinned, I think this shot really captured that. I really like that the background is really dull and I think this makes the subject pop out a little more. I wish his right arm wasn't as blurry, but I like that the flames are clearly in motion. There was no selective coloring done, but the vibrance was dropped down completely.

Photo #2: 1/50, 1.8, 1600. Most of Jimmy's shots were really intense. He has this fire warrior quality when he spins. He looks as if he is about to strike and I really dig that. The graffiti stands out but I think he mixes with it well. I'm afraid it might cause a little bit of a distraction, but I'm not sure if it's much of a problem. I wish the right side of his face wasn't quite so bright and his arms almost seem awkward. I really like the eye contact.

Photo #3: 1/50, 1.8, 1600. To me the eyes are drawn away from Jimmy and towards the candle, I'm on the fence on whether or not this is negative, because it feels a little more artistic because of it. Honestly, I want to like this picture, but I'm not sure if I do, and can't figure out why. Perhaps its the stray flames in the gap between Jimmy and the candle.

Photo #4: 1/5, 1.8, 1600. I love the action in this shot. I love the way you can see the fuel being spit out, and not just the flame. It gives the shot a real in the moment feel to me. It was incredibly hard for me to avoid blowing out the fire breathers faces (hard like I couldn't achieve it). Also, he is not very in focus, which was an accident, but I think it gives it a quality I like.

Photo #5: 1/80, 1.8, 1600.This is probably my favorite. Her pose is amazing, I love how high the fire is going, and that I caught it right before she closed her mouth. I think the crowd adds an audience that makes it look more like a performance, which, of course, it was. I'm not sure I like how high the sky goes and think maybe cropping some of the sky out would make it look better. Also, the focus is bad and I think opening the aperture would have been better.

Thank you for your consideration.

theeph · Apr 7, 2012

I'm nervous to find out why i'm being passed over. :/

Hickeydog · Apr 7, 2012

It happens sometimes. It really helps to only post 1 or two at a time if you want C&C.

The first photo looks good. I really can't see anything wrong with it.

#2: Subject is too far to the right.

#3: Subject is WAY too far to the right. If you had taken one more step to your left, you could have gotten the entire person in the photo with a little room. Generally speaking, cutting part of your subject out the frame is a no-no.

#4 is a nice action shot. Just get him in focus next time.

#5: Subject is too far in the corner. I like the idea that you're going for, but you should have moved her up and towards the right a bit in the frame.

You definitely have the right idea here. Just a few minor tips to get you even better.

theeph · Apr 7, 2012

Thanks, a lot. I will keep the 1 or 2 at a time and framing in mind!

Derrel · Apr 7, 2012

The first and second shots are the strongest ones I think. The second one has some background to it, and we can see his face relatively clearly. SHooting outdoors at night by fire light, bonfire,tikki torches, bright patio lights, etc. is really tricky. First off, the dynamic range is wide--highlights are BRIGHT, and the midtones are almoast noinesistant, and the shadows are very,very BLACK. Basically, as the ISO level goes up on most cameras, the sensor's ability to capture wide dynamic range goes down with each ISO stop of gain above base ISO. Around 800,or 1600,or 3200 on "most" cameras, the image quality and color depth and dynamic range can take a big, big hit. Where that hit or "cliff" is located depends on the camera; each ISO stop above base gains you shutter speed.

The trick when shooting these kind of shots is to keep the camera steady, and to shoot ion RAw capture mode, and to make sure the exposure does not overly blow out the lighted areas. Problem is, there is not much that constitutes a lighted area in many situations; in the 2nd photo, there *is* a wall behind him, and that helps to "place" him within the scene. The last photo...all the black sky, and then a concrete wall, and her, small,and sort of out of focus--doesn't quite work as well as shots 1 or 2 do.

#3 is kind of a near miss type shot; he's too far off to the edge. "Almost". #4 he is OOF, but the action is good...the thing is, this kind of stuff is HARD to shoot...it's dark..the action is somewhat unpredictable, focusing is a PITA...you just have to keep shooting. This type of activity is what I call "low-percentage shooting". Soooooo many variables exist...size of flame...shutter speed, moving or still subject,etc,etc. Overall, not too bad. I'd say study the pictures and learn. The best thing would be to collaborate with the artists, and to know their routines, and know where they will be when they do each move,and so on.

theeph · Apr 7, 2012

Excellent advice, Derrel. Many thanks!

Granddad · Apr 8, 2012

Isn't there a technique for using long exposure with a flash to get the fire spinner in focus at the same time as getting the fire trail of the props? I've heard of this and would like to try it.

Overall I'd say you did a pretty fair job and just need to work on the composition etc as above. I think this is a genre that takes LOTS of practise!

I did some fire spinner shots last month and it's far from easy getting the settings and comp right because the light can vary so much from shot to shot and the subjects are so darned unpredictable!.

theeph · Apr 8, 2012

I've heard of what you're talking about, Granddad, I just don't know how to do it.

It is difficult, but I'm thrilled with the feedback I've gotten thus far.

Granddad · Apr 9, 2012

Hi Theeph, my curiosity got going so I asked Mr Google and came up with this article (linked below) that explains 1st curtain sync and rear curtain sync pretty well. I now understand what and why (... sort of ...

). Now I need to figure out how.

(Edit) Feedback on here can vary, mostly you get some, occasionally nothing. One or two people can be quite harsh in their C&C but don't let that get you down, those same people would be harsh with the the world's top photographer

... and within that harsh criticism is often a kernel of truth you can learn from. Others are a little more diplomatic I've learned a tremendous amount here in the last few months and received some really top advice.

(Edit) Googled rear curtain flash for my Nikon D700 and found a reference to the manual page number - easy peasy!

http://neilvn.com/tangents/2010/06/02/first-curtain-sync-vs-rear-curtain-sync/