How can I photograph a fire by myself?

Fire isn’t something you should play with, but surely you can capture it!

Fire photography is quite famous during camping trips and Christmas time. It is dangerous for obvious reasons, but if you take precautions, you can have quite a blast with its photography.

In this article, we will talk about all the places you can photograph different fire forms and the appropriate settings for fire photography.

So keep on reading below to know more about it.

Camera settings for photographing fire

The best way you can photograph a great fire image is by taking care of the camera settings.

The appropriate settings that you should use are:

• Shutter speed should be set at a lesser time, meaning around 20-30 seconds, so that you can get the most light in the photograph for a good exposure.
• If you are capturing fire in a camp, make sure to let people know that they are in the subject’s range so that they can stay still while you click the pictures. This way, the focus would not shift from the fire, and the lighting would remain intact.
• Buy a light source to maintain a continuous and ambient light like focus lighting, strobe lighting etc.
• Set the white balance on auto so that the colours and the brightness of the picture become balanced automatically.
• Put the camera on a self-timer mode so that you do not have to constantly faze the camera with your touch and risk blurring the images by touching the shutter button to click the picture.
• Adjust the ISO to 100-200, which is more than enough for the light to enter the frame.
• Use HDR for a dramatic twist to the colours of the photograph.
• Keep the exposure in the photo set on a low level so that you can get the actual colours of the fire.

How to take pictures of fire from iPhone?

If you wish to click amazing pictures of the fire from your phone, then use the following steps as crucial advice:

1. When you keep the shutter speed at longer times, then the brightness is contained in the picture without disturbing the actual colours of the fire. You can adjust the timer between 5 seconds to 30 seconds for a superb picture,
2. When you use a wide aperture such as f/2.8 or f/3.4, then you can capture the minimum light required to reach the frame and click an ambient picture. However, if you still feel that the light is really less, then you can maximize the aperture accordingly.
3. ISO is usually set low for such pictures because you need the bright colours of the fire and a darker background. But if you feel like the photo is just not bright enough, then you can increase ISO until you reach the level you desired from the start.
4. Get creative with the lighting available around you and work according to the background involved.

How to photograph fire with flames?

Fire is an excellent subject for capturing amazing pictures without actually needing much.

You can get creative with the photographs that you click so that you can capture the flames of the fire in all its glory while subduing the background around it. So let’s get creative with the ideas below:

• Take Sharp photos of the fire: Landscape shots make for amazing photographs of the flames. You will have to use narrow aperture for the same so that you can get darker images. Use f/8 as a standard aperture for fire photos.
• Get creative with blurry photos by using the long exposure type of photography. This way the movements of the flame would be enhanced and you can create shapes and letter with the same.
• Keep the shutter mode at a slow speed so that you can easily move the camera while you make the camera movements.
• Try to focus on other subjects with flame in blur, like if you’re in a camp, blur the flame while focus on the people in the background or vice versa.
•  Take a full on exposure picture of the fireplace at your home with the brick frame in the photo. Create an aesthetic by focusing on the fireplace with a brick frame around it. 

Fire photography at home

When you think of fire at home, you must think of two things: a fire place and a barbeque.

You can click so many pictures with both of them as the main focal point of the picture.

• If you have a fireplace, use your inner artist to take picture where the fire of the fireplace is the focus of the picture. Use Manual focus mode and tap on the little circle to focus on the full picture and get a crisp picture.

• When you have planned a barbeque for your family and friends, capture the essence of the activity and take the photo of the fire created from the barbeque. The majestic flames created with it make for a mesmerizing photo.

• Create a bon fire in your backyard and treat the trees and the garden as your beautiful background. You can use HDR to enhance the color of the flame with your garden as a greenish background.

• Never use flash of the camera to capture a picture as it would disturb the colors and temperatures of the photo.
• For backyard bonfire photography, blur the flames and take the picture of the background with the shades of fire.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you take pictures of fire by yourself?

Look for a subject first, like a fireplace or a bonfire in the backyard. Now, create a set up with focus lights around the background of the fire or simply use the lights in your house.

After all this is done, keep ISO high but shutter speed low and use long exposure. Also, remember to click photographs in RAW quality.

What precautions should you take when photographing fire?

First of all, never come too close to the fire to take its photograph because you could risk ruining the lens.

Second, the sediments that the fire leaves behind may harm your lens as well as you when inhaled through breath.

Also, if you’re taking a picture of the fireplace, make sure that the camera you place has a wide angle lens that can zoom enough without ruining the pixels of the photo.

One should always be careful when heat is anyway near the camera as it could serious damage. Not just the camera, but you should also take care of yourself and be careful not be taken away in the experience.

Conclusion

Taking mesmerizing photographs of fire and its beautiful flames is easy if you know how to work the camera and use it according to your need. Work according to an idea you had beforehand.

A great photographer is known for his pre-planning tactics as well as the skills he puts into his photographs.

Those skills can be the camera angles he decides to click photos in or the way he studies the camera before committing to clicking amazing pictures.

Therefore, when you decide to take up fire photography, pick up your gear and get on with it!