Fire!!

[Dave]

OK, I'd like to take decent shots of fire but I cannot seem to get any realistic pictures. Flash on you get the charred wood with no fire, no flash then I get a messy orange blur




Surely I can get some kind of inbetween or better shot, OK I am more novice than a wean with a mobile but I am keen to learn

[Peetabix]

Slow shutter speed will give that blurry look and show detail. Faster shutter speed will give a sharper flame but you'll lose most of the detail in the fireplace/whatever else is around the flame.

Don't think I have any better shots than these.

[saltirepride]

I love the second pic!

Wullie

[rotten milk]

'fill-in' flash or the digi equivalent may be your answer

what camera are you using?

if it's a point'n'shoot, there may be an 'mode' setting which gives you a combination of 'less flash + slower shutter' than the auto settings give you e.g. 'indoors' or 'night portrait'
some will also give you a 'fill-in flash' option on auto, which does the same sort of thing

or, on manual for example, fix the shutter speed how you want it, then if the image is too dark, fire a burst of 'fill-in' flash (equivalent to maybe 1/2 stop) to bring out the detail?

[hungryjoe]

If you have a separate flash gun, you could try setting the film speed on the flash gun (it's got to be on manual mind) 1 or 2 stops faster i.e. double the film speed or double it again, also try click stops in between. this won't affect your exposure of the flames too much but will give a bit of illumination to the surrounding area of your subject.

'fill-in' flash or the digi equivalent may be your answer

Call me old fashioned, but I thought fill in flash was for back lit subjects.

[rotten milk]

it might be!

what i was meaning is similar though (sort of) i.e. using flash 1 or 2 stops less power than normal to just bring out the detail in the shadows, whilst still allowing a 'correct' main exposure (for the effect he's after)

some sort of diffuser(coloured or not)on a flash-gun could further cut any harshness of flash

or take the fire from the 1/180 shot and photoshop it into the 1/30 fireplace!

[hungryjoe]

it might be!

what i was meaning is similar though (sort of) i.e. using flash 1 or 2 stops less power than normal to just bring out the detail in the shadows, whilst still allowing a 'correct' main exposure (for the effect he's after)

some sort of diffuser(coloured or not)on a flash-gun could further cut any harshness of flash

or take the fire from the 1/180 shot and photoshop it into the 1/30 fireplace!

I'm an auld pisher and huvnae a scooby whit ye're on aboot
Your diffuser thing has reminded me that if the camera doesn't have a separate flash gun then a folded paper hanky (experiment using different numbers of folds)held over the built in flash, can do the trick. Not to cut any harshness, (though it will) but to cut the effective output.

There have been many occasions where I've used flash to illuminate the foreground of a picture, and given that I could use a spot meter, I could work out just how much flash I needed. Technically though, it's not fill in flash.

If you can imagine a studio set up. You might want the back light to be 2/3 of a stop brighter than the main light, to give a slight halo effect around your subject. Fill in flash is exactly the same principle, where the sun is the back light, and the flash is the main light. It's a lovely thing when done right. Using the film speed dial on the flash gun gets you your 2/3 stop difference, although 2/3 of a stop is just a starting out thing. Less or more depends on your subject. Using an incident light meter for the main subject works a treat.
I'm pissed, if you know all that, forgive me, it'll maybe help someone else.

[BrigitDoon]

[hungryjoe]

Nice.

[Dave]

Very nice

[BrigitDoon]

Thanks guys

It was my friends' wedding and they had set up a camp fire at the outside evening do for people to sit around. I was mesmerised by it and decided to train the camera on it.

[hungryjoe]

Thanks guys

It was my friends' wedding and they had set up a camp fire at the outside evening do for people to sit around. I was mesmerised by it and decided to train the camera on it.

Brigit, despite the guid photies, you need a lesson in camp fire etiquette:
1st, sit at the campfire drinking 'til you're pished.
2nd, once pished, get more pished while singing songs, preferably old songs.

Nothing to it really.

[BrigitDoon]

But it was a wedding! Of course I was pished.

On the wagon these days, though...

[rotten milk]

love the first pic brigit, reminds me of when we visited relatives who had a coal fire.
it was usually october/november time so a fire would be built late afternoon.
paper, then sticks, the coal on top
as it takes, lots of smoke from the coal then the flames, crackling then spitting.

but the bit i liked was later when the flames had died down and the coals were glowing
just like your pics, there would be wee caverns which i could chuck bits of paper, matchsticks etc., a brief flame from them before they're consumed
come late evening, very little flame, but a fierce heat from the coal embers
i remember, if it looked like dying down, gave the fire a poke, now and again, to keep it going
the occasional rustle as coals fell down and rearranged themselves
very hypnotising

then my uncle fcking and blinding cos the grate was still hot at 5am the next morning when he went to clean the ashes out!

at home we had a 3-bar electric fire and only put a bit paper onto that once, shortly before getting a slap round the head!
ach, it wisnae the same anyway..........

[BrigitDoon]

What a wonderful reminiscence. My granny was one for fetching us upside the earhole.