Campfire Photography

Summer’s in full swing and hopefully you’re getting outdoors to enjoy (and photograph!) lots of activities in the sunshine. But there are lots of opportunities to shoot outside at night in the summer, too, and there's nothing like the golden glow of a fire for memorable images. From beach bonfires to backyard fire pits, here’s how to get some striking images near a fire.

Wait until dark. Almost.
Like shooting holiday lights and theme park rides, start your fire photography session around dusk. Keep in mind that it will get progressively darker fairly quickly so be ready to adjust your settings to accommodate the increasing darkness. Remember to expose for the background! Photographing before it’s completely dark will give some extra interest and context to the image composition, like the deep blue of water or a sunset lit sky. 

Water, sky and even some twinkling lights in the distance make this shot's composition more visually interesting than just a shot of a fire.

Slow it down. Using a longer shutter speed, combined with a wider aperture and a higher ISO will most likely be the best set up for shooting around a fire. If you want to capture spark trails and get more detail in the flames, then a faster shutter (about 1/250) does the trick. Careful with your ISO if you're shooting the fire in surrounding darkness as you can end up with a lot of noise. Of course when shooting at a longer shutter speed, don't forget your tripod! 

Lighting your fire If you choose to continue to shoot after nightfall, it can help to have another small light at the side or in the background. If you’re camping, this is easily accomplished by placing a lit flashlight or headlamp inside your tent and turning it into a big, soft diffused lantern. Capture the eeriness of those spooky stories we all like to tell around a campfire by having the storyteller illuminate his/her face with a flashlight held just under their chin. If you’re around a backyard fire pit, maybe there’s a tiki torch or lantern off to the side that provides this extra light. If your car is nearby, you may be able to do something interesting by turning on the car headlights and facing them away from the fire. You can use flash to light up the faces of people around the fire, but beware, as you’ll wash out the fire as well.

What’s around the fire? Will you be roasting marshmallows, hotdogs, or making smores? Don’t forget to capture the making (and eating!) of any fireside treats. If you’re camping and using wood you’ve gathered yourself include some snaps of the growing pile of wood while you’re collecting it, or the day's catch ready to be pan fried. 

Note that this image was taken during semi-daylight hours with just a hint of the fire in the background.

Extra tip for campers: Since you’re out in the middle of nowhere with your tripod anyway, consider doing some star trail photography! Set up your tripod and make sure you’ve got it set for 30 second shutter speed and then take between 50-100 images and combine them in post.

Getting outdoors at night in the summer months can make for lots of photo ops when you're around a fire. Experiment with some of the ideas above and of course, practice safety first and always. Keep your equipment and your subjects at a safe distance from the fire, and always douse your fire completely before leaving your campsite. 

Congratulations to Laura Johnson!

Big congrats are in order for Laura Johnson who was the winner in our Erin Manning Holiday Giveaway!  Laura has won the Erin Manning Home Studio Lighting Kit by Westcott, with 2 lights, 2 stands, 2 softboxes, PLUS a DigiTent and instructional DVD! We can't wait to see the great images you take with the kit, Laura, so @ us on Twitter, post on our Facebook wall or leave some images in the comments here!
And a big thanks to everyone who entered! 

The Erin Manning Home Studio Lighting Kit by Westcott 

See the Light Series Vol 5: Natural Light with Mark Kitaoka

"I only use natural light..."

Yup I remember saying that very same thing in an intentionally arrogant tone. Truth be told, I didn't know how to use artificial light whether it was from a strobe or hand held flash. Sure I had dabbled with them, but didn't understand the first thing about using either very well.

I began my photographic journey doing street shooting. No artificial light, no reflectors, no scrims, just what being in the right place at the right time had put before me. After that initial fear of shooting strangers going about their daily lives wore off, street shooting became invigorating. Looking for the 'right' person, in the 'right' situation, in the 'right' light meant being visually vigilant and above all being patient. To this day it is still my favorite type of photography, but I've been both blessed and cursed to not have the time to pursue it as often as I have in the past.

So for the next couple posts, I want to talk about shooting tips in natural light whether you're street shooting or creating a portrait.

I have developed my own rule for shooting whether by natural or artificial light. I call it "The LEE" principle: Light, Expression, Environment. Make sure your image tells a story either using light, expression or the environment and you're on your way, but your best shots will incorporate all three factors. Let’s look at the LEE principle in available light/street shooting.

How to get over the jitters about photographing strangers on the street is an article all unto itself, so I won't go into it here. The main elements you should consider when looking at potential street scenes:

1. Tell a story, including the environment is as important as your subject. If you frame too tight, you lose the story in the shot. If you want to go in tight you can always crop, but try to get the entire story in camera. Park yourself in an interesting place and WAIT.

As I was waiting for a musician I was photographing I decided to hang out on Market Street in San Francisco. After about ten minutes I noticed this interesting man

approaching the bus stop, so I simply waited until he got into a position where I could frame him with the art across the street. Light, expression, environment.

"Suspicious"

2. Observe the light and determine what you hope to achieve before taking a shot.

For this image I went into San Francisco one Saturday morning and waited as I watched people crossing California Avenue on Kearny Street. I waited until I observed these five people walking and snapped the image as they were in this formation. It was almost noon so I knew the subjects would be silhouetted, but that was my plan for this shot. Light, expression, environment.

"Intersection"

3. Wait for the right action or expression. Remember a great expression with bad light or a boring environment will not get you the shot you want.

Window shots are my favorites and this one was taken during a street fair. I had to wait 15 minutes for the sun to travel to an angle to light the two women and the dog as they watched the people in the fair below their apartment. I was quite worried that this shot would be missed if they moved from the window. But I waited until the sun was just right and took this shot. Light, expression, environment.

Off the street, the LEE principle still works:

I literally HATE any time in the early morning. So getting up before 11:00AM takes an act of Congress or the potential for gorgeous light. In this case the two models in this photo were simply asked to run through a field of grass at around 7:00am amid gorgeous fog. When the light is diffused like this, the whole world seems gorgeous. Because the environment and light are almost a sure thing, your direction to the subject for expression and activity will make or break your shot. Light/expression/environment.

"Bliss"

Bodies of water make incredible reflectors! In this shot I had the subject in a rowboat and asked her to row parallel to the sun. I wanted her backlit to give an angelic feeling to the image. I asked a fellow photographer to spray water from a garden hose into the air and spot metered on her hair to give me the exposure I needed for the light. Light/expression/environment.

"Enchanted"

My friend Russell was dismantling the recording studio he had operated for over 30 years. He asked me to photograph the process so he could have memories of his decades of recording so many artists. I told him that the story would not be complete without taking an environmental portrait of him, so I wandered around his studio to find the right spot. In his upstairs storage room was an old chair surrounded by lots of gear being packed and was lit by window light. Light/expression/environment.

"Fin"

In the next two installments, I'll talk about natural light in event shooting and reflectors. Happy Shooting!