Photograph Flames Continued

Campfires

Campfires are one of the easier fire images to photograph. However, the key here is to figure out your shutter speed. I personally use a slightly longer shutter time in order to blur the fire a bit as well as give any flying sparks an opportunity to leave a light trail.

Please note that with a longer shutter time you want to make sure your subjects remain somewhat still and mount the camera on a tripod or on a suitable flat surface. Depending on what the subjects in the picture are doing, campfire shots are excellent at conveying warmth and calm or a wild party attitude.

Please be cautious, if you leave the shutter open for too long you can lose the atmosphere of the photo as the fire will be too bright.

Big Fire

Attempting to photograph large fires, while not losing the sense of the power and generated heat, can be a tricky endeavor. Most photos of large scale fires are taken from a distance, which can cause the photo to lose its impact and scale.

When photographing large fires safety should be your first concern since they can be very unpredictable. If it is possible, try to photograph larger fires at night when you can capture the drama of the smoke and flames against a dark background.

Having the ability to highlight the smoke gives your photo a sense of volume and space to the fire beyond its attachment to the ground. One more thing to remember, shooting at night with a slower shutter speed allows for more intensity in the flames varying color and brightness.