April Fire

Spring is here, in the air and all that, so one of the "rituals" of spring that we often engage is the "burn pile". There's nothing like fire to watch as the day closes to night and the sparks fly and the firelight becomes brighter as the sky becomes darker. One of my students asked me about photographing fire last week and I told him that there's nothing like it, nothing at all! There isn't, fire has it's own properties, it's own way of behaving, and it is unique, not only in and of itself, but also in the many forms and circumstances that can surround it. Here are two shots of the 60 or so that I took tonight at the "burn pile" that were taken with a fast (1/1000) shutter speed and two that were taken a bit more slowly (2-3 sec). They each have their own specific qualities, but the circumstances are also important!