Fire has always been my favorite photographic light source...
But it's also one of, if not the most, challenging photographic light sources there is. It's even worse than those high pressure sodium lights. Though, I'll admit, I've rarely had photographic success shooting under those yellow HPS street lights; the light they produce is so ugly. At least fire produces a warm, romantic, and mysteriously beautiful light.
When I was spending an evening with friends in Ardèche, and they said they wanted to play with their fire staffs (Bâton Feu), I immediately grabbed my camera and started shooting. I loved the challenge of capturing dynamic, moving subjects dimly lit only by fire. It was an immensely fun evening and one of the kinds of nights that makes you a better photographer. There are so many issues that come up. Motion blur and adequate shutter speed, dynamic range, post-processing challenges, etc. You have to shoot in manual or shutter priority and really know how to use your camera.
See the gallery below.
