Scott Cochrane Photography: Fire

Killing time...With Fire!

I am the type of person who will try pretty much anything once. I am also easily swayed when someone proposes a "good" idea to me about something.

So when embarking on an outing to a friends house, lets call him Jon, I was excited when he asked me to bring my camera, because:

A) His apartment is the bomb for eclectic odds and ends lying around in wait for someone to photograph, and

B) The last time we had these same circumstances, we burned things.

Not simply for the sake of burning things, really. Mostly due to the fact that fire is quite the canvas with which to paint, in a manner of speaking. It is also of great importance to mention that our collective brains work in this way:

"What do you think would happen if we did X?"

"Lets find out."

Have you ever seen a glass starfish burning before? Now you have.

I have always had a long-standing love affair with fire. Sitting around one while camping, or just wherever there happened to be a fire, was worse than crack and TV combined. I would sit for hours (or until it was time to eat) staring into the flames. Now, I have the ability to try and capture that for others.

Fire is its own thing, though. It makes light, heat, crispy bacon, ETC, but when it moves, it dances in the most beautiful and unexpected ways.

We didn't start the fire. Actually, we did. Carry on.

Fire needs two things.

Fuel, and Respect. Seriously, respect the flames. I don't need to tell you, but I will re-state it for any budding pyros out there: RESPECT THE FLAME!

Self portrait.

I guess it is all a part of the need to connect, and with fire there you can connect to it in whatever way you desire. Project yourself, your feelings, hurts, thoughts, old documents...Fire don't care, man. It just burns! But when it burns back at you, you can not only feel the warmth, but see the dance that is presented to you. For your eyes only. Like seeing shapes in clouds.

My drink of choice.

From a photographic point of view, fire can diversify everything as well. It is a harsh mistress, for it is not a constant light source, and needs a lot of attention. So, Burn with a friend, kids! The buddy system is not for losers, it is to keep you burning. Also, wind will be a factor, for good or bad, so think ahead if you are outdoor burning. I will usually shoot with Auto White Balance, but for a whiter flame try the Incandescent setting.

Shutter speed will affect the flame in your picture in the way you would most likely expect it to: The faster the shutter, the less movement of the flame. Slow it down and you'll get a lot more streaking. Set your aperture to compensate for the intensity of the flame.