When it comes to my photographs, I’m somewhat of a purist.  Techniques like HDR and other effects heavy on post-processing in software like Adobe Photoshop just don’t do it for me.  Many of these techniques and effects do have their place in the world of photography.  I just don’t choose to use them.  To me, photography is all about being in that moment and making the most of the image coming through the lens at the time you snap that shutter.  I’m a big fan of my polarizing filter and my neutral-density graduated filters.  These give an effect that is taken at the time the photo is taken, allowing me to manipulate the light of the image, not the pixels on my computer.

That being said, there is one effect that I just love.  I initially learned the technique from a man named Christopher Phin, a graphic designer from Southern Scotland.  Basically, the effect consists of taking a photograph with a down-angled view of the world and creating the illusion that the photograph is of a plastic model.  I would walk through the steps to re-create the effect, but he has already done such a great job on his website, there is no need for me to repeat the steps.  Please visit his blog post if you are interested in trying this effect out with your own photographs and your own copy of Photoshop.

Christopher’s blog post illustrating the technique fascinated me immediately.  I’ve found that if the original photograph looks down on the world, the effect is best (see original photograph of the shot above to the right).  This is because when we view plastic models, we are used to looking down on them.  This initially fools our brain to think that if we are looking down on something, we may be larger.  The step that really bring s the effect home is adding the “lens blur” to the image.  This causes the same effect of macro photography, where the depth-of-field in the photo is so incredibly shallow.  We are used to seeing photographs with large vistas containing everything in focus.  So when we see a large area with a very shallow depth-of-field then it again fools our brain to think we are looking at something very, very small.  Adjusting the images levels and contrast creates the effect that everything is made from synthetic materials.

All these effects work together to give us the great effect of photographing a plastic model.  Here are a couple more examples:

Once again on a Tuesday night, I took my photography gear with me to Sewallcrest Park in Portland, Oregon to watch and shoot the talented fire spinners who show off their skills every week.  When I arrived, it had not gotten dark yet, and there were no people gathered there.  Usually, there is already a swarm of people practicing and warming up while there is still light in the sky.  But that night, it seemed, would be a waste.

I almost grabbed my gear to head back home, but after one or two more people showed up, I decided to wait it out at least for a few more minutes.  Luckily, I made the right decision.  Within an hour of almost giving up, there was a large group there, definitely ready to dance with some fire.

As the sky darkened, I saw that the three-quarter moon was rising into the sky.  Since the moon played such a pivotal role in the quality of the last set of fire dancing photos I took, I began to get really excited about the potential of the evening’s shots.  And sure enough, when the first performer lit their staff and the flames blazed against the moonlit sky, I knew it was going to be a good night.

One of my most favorite fire spinning photos I’ve managed to capture is of a man named Randy, who is incredibly talented with the fire staff.  He was the first to spin, and as always, did not disappoint.  His slow and gracious movements with the staff makes it seem like he is only partially responsible for the motion of the fire, while the other half is created by the staff itself, moving by its own free will around his shoulders without any assistance from Randy.  Just beautiful!

Others performed with fire poi and staffs, and it was a pleasure to shoot some new faces.  One of my favorite aspects of shooting the fire dancers is the shapes and figures that the fire creates in the resulting photographs.  Sometimes while I watch the repeating patterns of the artists, I can time the image just right to get the pattern I am looking for.  While other times, it ends up creating a completely random shape that is easily recognized.  This was the case when a talented staff wielder ended up creating a perfect figure of the number six right before my eyes.  It fascinates me when everything randomly connects to create something so recognizable.

My friend Alicia’s sister Shawna was in town for the week, and joined us at the park to show us her talents with fire poi.  I was excited to be there to shoot her performance, and even gave her some direction in order to help make sure the photos came out just right.  Shawna’s talent was obvious when she began whipping that poi all around her body with a speed and control I couldn’t believe.

Then I met Forest.  His initial performance with a fire staff was incredibly impressive, with his acrobatic talents showing through in his dance.  It was very obvious this was a man who was not new to dancing with fire.  I spoke with him after his burn, and was very impressed with what a warm and kind person he was.  To make sure we stayed in touch, we exchanged information.  Now, I’m used to giving out my card to share the images with the performers through my website, but rarely does a performer share their information with me, let alone have any information at all!

Forest founded what looks like an mind-blowing performance group called Liquid Fire Mantra, and as their website describes their Ritual Theater, are a fusion of dance, theatre, and circus.  After seeing a small example of Forest’s talents there at the park, I knew I wanted to see one of the Liquid Fire Mantra shows.  Follow the link above to see for yourself how talented this group is!

Forest showed me his next fire toy he was going to burn.  They were two identical swords, both with blades that rage in flame (see the top of this post to see).  I set up my gear and got ready to shoot, and he began to dance with these blades as if any fear of the fire did not exist.  I was completely blown away and couldn’t get enough, so I tried to take advantage of his incredible dance, shooting photo after photo.  I enjoyed shooting his burn so much, it made me hopeful that we could work together again soon.