Cue 80's rock....

[mangosteen]

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to day three. Today's exercise is going to be firespinning shots. No flashes allowed. I'm sure you know what that means, but just in case it leaked out of your heads during theory class, that means a narrow color range, high contrast, and working closer to the noise floor than most humans will ever experience.

Comments

Oooh!!!!

[sweetmmeblue]

How can I volunteer to spin for this class?

[perspicuity]

pffft. so many variables, luck is a factor.

that said, shooting in available dark is a good thing.

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[mangosteen]

As with many things, luck can be a factor, but skill can dramatically increase the hit rate.

[perspicuity]

it's true.

and available hours spent on various subjects.

fortunately, 3+ solid weekends of spinners makes for good stuff

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[inahandbasket]

Shooting firespinning has definitely been the most difficult photography I've ever attempted. Looks like you nailed some solid shots in your flickr stream!

My favorite I've ever taken: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rstrohmh/3487174563/in/set-72157617405966685
I'd love to tackle that challenge again some time!

I wouldn't mind seeing the shots

[drwex]

And while I agree that a clear person + fire shot is nice it's not the be-all and end-all. Sometimes just opening the shutter and letting it go captures more of the feel.

Re: I wouldn't mind seeing the shots

[mangosteen]

Sometimes just opening the shutter and letting it go captures more of the feel.

True, but that's not the entire story, hence "blurry spinny picture of orange stuff with no coherence or composition". It's entirely possible to let the shutter go for 2 seconds and get an amazing fire pattern, or get a gigantic ball of orange goo, with a slightly less orangey gooey background. It depends on shutter and ISO selection, and that's before talking about any filters on the camera.

Clear person + fire is not the be-all-end-all, but it is about control, and knowing how to use the tools in front of you to get a specific effect in what is a somewhat chaotic situation.

[glib_dichotomy]

I'd volunteer to spin for this shoot =)