Return of the Fire Dancers

Last summer, I attended and wrote about (here and here) two gatherings of our local fire dancer community. I was thrilled to get what I thought were some pretty awesome photographs of a unique art form.

With the return of summer, that community is gathering again. I couldn’t resist the opportunity to try my hand at photographing the event. But rather than shoot using the same technique as last year—that is, simply keeping the camera in program mode and shooting away—I went for a bit more creativity. I used shutter priority to slow my exposure time and capture the blur of fast motion.

I took all of the following images with my camera handheld. Considering that it would have been impossible to keep up with the fast movement of the dancers any other way, using a tripod wasn’t an option. Sharpness wasn’t a top priority at any rate.

In recent years, I’ve been exploring ways in which I can introduce surrealism into my photography. While others may go for more of a realist or humanistic approach, I’ve been finding that showing the world in a more unconventional way leads to more compelling work.

I actually began the evening shooting a roll of Kentmere Pan 400 through my Nikon F. I have that roll on deck for developing, and I’m eager to see how those photographs compare with my digital ones.