Where is Your Fire?

Jim Burnham    December 15, 2017    No Comments on Where is Your Fire?
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“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.”
-Benjamin Franklin

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My name is Jim 
Burnham. I am a US photographer. Follow me on Instagram or Twitter -> @BurnhamArts 

 

The following photos were taken with my Nikon D7100 with a Sigma 18-250mm telephoto at or near 250mm.
ISO: 1250
F-Stop: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/1600 sec.

The ISO was set at 1250 in order to get up a 1/1600 sec shutter speed (At lower ISO, the shutter speed was too slow to effectively freeze the flame. You will see that even 1/1600sec was not quite enough to stop the top of the flame, which is moving fastest). I was zoomed in at 250mm (full telephoto) and f6.3 from a short distance (15 ft) and shooting from a low position with a tripod allowed me to compress (bring closer) and simplify the background tree into a seamless pattern of green bokeh. Exposing for just the flame and not the entire scene requires some experimentation depending on the light (this was day time). The trick is to not overexpose the flame. The magic is in the varying levels of brightness inside the flame itself. Adjusting exposure and boosting clarity enhances the infinite patterns in the flame. This technique can produce some beautiful results. Enjoy the time lapse movie at the end.

I have always gotten lost

watching fire…

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It moves like a river.

You can watch forever

and never see

the same thing twice

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What do you see when you look inside?

Do you look for anything in particular?

Or do you see but turn off your eyes?

Where is your fire?

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I froze the fire

and looked in silence,

stripped of sound,

heat,

and myth.

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I found infinite stories.

It became my fire

at that moment.

I am the only one

who can see what I see.

What do you see?

Where is your fire?

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“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.”
-Plutarch

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“Piece out our imperfections with your thoughts;
Into a thousand parts divide on man,
And make imaginary puissance;
Think when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hoofs i’ the receiving earth”
-William Shakespeare – Henry V Prologue

Watch the photo above being drawn

Thanks for reading. If you made it this far, congratulations! Please like and share or comment and share or pass it on and share using the social links below. If you would like an email when new posts are added, add your email below. Follow me on Instagram or Twitter: @BurnhamArts

 

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