Despite officially beginning on March 20, Spring really began in Ottawa last Saturday, and after a long winter of barely using my camera, I was very excited to hit the snow-free ground running!
Like most boys, I went through a small pyromaniac faze. Fire is exciting! It’s in constant motion and you can literally feel the energy in it! With this in mind, I have had many photography ideas based around fire, like a trash-the-dress shoot or an engagement session with a fun, and probably a bit crazy, couple! But to do any of this I need to learn how to create, control and photograph fire!
The only way to do any of this is through lots of practice. This quick session of photographs is my first venture with fire. Despite looking dangerous, it was actually pretty safe to do! A few tips for anyone thinking about doing something similar:
1- Make sure you bring proper lighting. It’s helps a lot!
2- Make sure your area is clear of things that could catch fire. Cement locations such as under a bridge are perfect!
3- Make sure to get good lighters. You don’t want to be struggling to light things up when there is a little wind, and you’re losing available light.
Most of all, I think the idea is to have fun, be creative and be safe! This was a good first session, but I think you’ll be seeing some more sessions involving fire throughout the summer. In the meantime, happy spring Ottawa!