For those who do not live in the Portland, Oregon area, Sauvie Island lies within the Columbia River, in between Oregon and Washington states.  It is made up mostly of farmland and wildlife refuges, so it can be a peaceful place to visit, getting away from the rush rush of the city.  Along most of its shores are sandy beaches, much like along the ocean, but without the waves.  A group of us thought it would be a perfect place to do some fire spinning with hoops, poi, fans, and other toys.  Specifically interested was my friend Haven, who was hoping to spin some fire in the sand in preparations for a beach-side fire performance she was planning a couple weeks later for her sister and family.

Along for the shoot were more performers than we’ve ever gathered before.  In the past, I have done shoots with Haven, Kali, Zac, and Paul.  But some new people I shot for the first time were Harmony, Kristin, and Karri.  Every performer brought something unique and powerful to the session, it was a treat to get so much variety out of the finished photos.

For this shoot, I rented two very powerful strobes powered by a huge battery pack.  I have been wanting to experiment with lights more powerful than my 580ex II off-camera, so this was a perfect opportunity to do so.  One of my biggest complaints when it comes to my own fire spinning photos was that the light of the fire causes my exposures to become messy and blurry.  Fire hoops are just so incredibly bright, I figured I needed a much brighter light source to over-power it.  Unfortunately in this night’s case, that meant we wouldn’t be able to capture the incredibly textured sky we were blessed with.

My other goal for this shoot was to experiment with the contrast of fire and water in the same shoot.  Reflections of the fire on water I thought would make an incredible addition to the fire spinning imagery I’ve collected so far.  Fortunately, the weather cooperated (a challenge in an Oregon October), and the Columbia River was not nearly as cold as we all thought it would be.  It was the water itself that presented a challenge to the performers.  Well, not to the performers specifically, but to their toys.  If a fire hoop was dropped into the river while shooting, not only would the flame get doused out, but the wicks would absorb water and need to be dried out before soaking up fuel to be re-lit.  After the first time this happening, we were all fairly timid to risk causing too many toys to be out of commission.

I couldn’t be happier with the photos that came out of this shoot.  We faced a few challenges, and avoided any major accidents caused by a soaking wet dog feverishly looking for his friend Mr. Ball. Thanks to Haven, Harmony, Kali, Kristin, Paul, Zac, and Karri for putting on such incredible performances; thank you for sacrificing your body warmth for the sake of art; and thank you for being such great friends!

I have a full gallery ready for viewing, but here are a few more samples.  Until the next burn!

I was thrilled when my friend and fellow photographer Jeff Snyder, of Freesolo Photography and Jeff Snyder Photography, asked me to help him with a special project. A group of fire dancers he knows had asked him to take some performance photos to help with their publicity. I’ve done a lot of similar work in the past, and he flattered me by asking me to be involved. I am always looking for a reason to shoot talented fire spinners, so of course I agreed!

It took us a couple days to find an appropriate location. August in Portland means that much of the area’s grass has become dormant and can sometimes look like it will burst into flames spontaneously, let alone when someone is standing there twirling a flaming hula hoop. We decided somewhere with concrete ground would probably be our best and safest bet. Someone suggested the Burnside skate park, and it seemed like the perfect location, as long as we didn’t get in anyone’s way.

Jeff and I arrived early to scout out the best locations. There were still many skaters enjoying the skate park, so we figured it was best to find somewhere else to get the majority of our shots. Luckily, just above the park, but still underneath the Burnside Bridge, was a small loading dock that could serve as a perfect performance platform for the ladies’ talents. Our shoot was set, and we awaited the ladies.

Soon, Swirly Temple, Zoe and Ginger arrived on location in full costume, and we started setting up for the shoot. Under the Burnside Bridge, we were thankful for the great urban setting, which seemed to contrast nicely with the natural flames. Jeff and I alternated between one of us getting wider shots, a bit closer to the talent, while the other set up further back, getting more stationary shots showing more of the scene.

We took our time, making sure we got all the shots we needed of each performer in each location. Our time was spent getting group shots, individual shots, hooping shots, and even a few with Zoe spinning some poi. Once the activity died down a bit at the skate park itself, we headed down to set up for a few shots on the concrete. All of us were grateful that the skaters at the park shared their space with us for a short while so we could get some shots of the ladies spinning next to the big “Burnside” artwork.

We finished out the night’s shoot with a few taken in front of some incredible artwork just outside the park. We were amazed at the design of the wall, with its seemingly liquid flames drawn right in. Topped off (literally) with a series of buzz saws and blades lining the top of the wall, it was the perfect backdrop to finish the night.

Thank you to all the amazing talent within Swirly, Zoe, and Ginger. And a big thank you to Jeff Snyder for including me in such a fun, thrilling, and satisfying shoot! Check out the full gallery for more photos.

As of Tuesday June 2, 2009, Pirate Town still stands.  For months now, people who know and love this dilapidated old factory near the University of Portland have heard rumors of its impending demolition.  My last trip there, Pirate Town proved to be a fun and successful venue for fire and LED spinning photos, so I tried to make it a point to visit again before it was torn down forever.   The problem is that no one seemed to know how much time we had left!

Tuesday morning, I felt a strong pull to organize a last-minute shoot, so I contacted everyone I knew who I thought might be interested.   Even though it was really late notice, my good friend Haven was able to make it, and she brought along her friends Kristi and Zac as well as her good friend Káli (who I had previously connected with on the Hoop City website, but had never met in person).

As is true with any inspiring canvas, the urban art covering the walls of Pirate Town is always changing.  We were greeted with some incredible tags and murals that we knew would really work well in our photos.

Since our last visit was dominated primarily with glow photos, we wanted to focus more on fire dancing this time. We also wanted to explore some new locations we weren’t able to utilize previously.  I knew that these beautiful and talented performers would look fantastic anywhere I shot them, so it was time to try some new spots.  One was an entire small structure with a fantastic woodwork in the vaulted ceiling that I really wanted to take advantage of.  I positioned the performers in the middle of the room so that the entire scene could be absorbed in the photos.  Another was positioning them at the base of the huge smoke stack at the back of the main building.  That spot looked especially good when Zac and Haven brought out the poi.

The ladies soon switched to the glowing LED hoops, and each took their turn in front of my lens.  We finished up Kristi’s set, and began debating whether or not to continue shooting, since it was past midnight by then.  As we were discussing things, we noticed headlights coming down the road and bright spotlights shining directly on us.  Apparently our decision was being made for us!  The University of Portland campus security paid us a visit and asked us to leave.  Of course we did so without any trouble.

While we were packing up, Zac and Kristi talked with the security officers about the current state of Pirate Town.   Apparently, the main building is still being held off from demolition until approval from the EPA because of asbestos concerns, but the other buildings were scheduled for demolition this week.  This is sad news for those of us who know how incredible Pirate Town really is.  I now wonder if there was a reason I was pulled so strongly to set up another shoot there without much planning.  I like to think that deep down I knew it may have been my last chance to shoot Pirate Town in its full glory.

The full gallery of shots is split up into separate albums based on performer and skill, so be sure to explore them all!  For now, here are some samples: