So, instead of leaving you high and dry this weekend, I thought I would post a fun tutorial on a type of time lapse trick photography. Ever wanted to hold fire in your hands? Well, now you can … sort of. The effect is pretty simple and Ill explain it after the jump!

OK, so first off you’ll need a camera that is capable of long exposures. Generally speaking 10-15 seconds seem to be optimal for my cameras, but depending on a few variables anywhere from 5 seconds to 20 seconds could work too. Most trick photography is simply a matter of trial and error when it comes to settings. It’s digital, so shoot until you have the look you want. OK, lets get started with a look at the effect we’re going to pull off.

As you can see from the image the young lady appears to have a hovering ball of fire above her hand. The great thing about time lapse in dark locations is that you don’t see the person in the frame who is making the fireball … namely, me. Yes, its TRUE, Im in this picture. There was no Photoshopping done, just a slight bump on the Blacks in Lightroom. To understand this, you need to know a little about how a camera works. The sensor in the back of the camera works in the same way as film does, it “soaks” up light and displays an image. Too much light and the image is blown out white. Too little light, and the blacks are “flat,” meaning they contain no real usable data. But something that seems like a logical jump, but few people realize, is that if there is not enough light on your subject, but plenty on the stationary items in the shot, the main subject becomes “invisible” to the sensor. Therefore, in the above picture, the model is being lit with a cheap disposable lighter, but the lighter also creates the fire in her hand. However, because I am moving so quickly (in comparison to the available light) I don’t appear in the frame. Pretty neat huh?

So, to pull this shot off you need some models who are able to stay pretty still for the required time limit. (FYI: blinking is fine, a human blink isnt slow enough to register for a time laspe photograph unless the model does it over and over and over again) Next, you need to conceptualize the picture prior to shooting it, because you need to be able to “see” where the fire is going to be in the final image so you are able to move the lighter accordingly. Remember, the lighter is the only light source in this image, so how you image the fire should be in a location where it can also light the subject.

Next, with the lights on, activate the AF on your camera with a half-press of the shutter. From this point the model shouldn’t move. Now, deactivate AF on the camera (on most lenses this is a switch found on either the camera or the lens itself) and turn off the lights. Let your eyes adjust to the dark a little, we don’t want to be tripping over studio gear or models. Then move to the side of the model. Activate your camera with a remote method, wired or wireless is fine but I prefer the wireless options. Now place the lighter at a proper starting point to achieve the effect you’re trying for. Remember, because of the darkness the camera hasn’t take an image yet. Light the lighter(s) and move in the pattern you are going for. When finished, step out of the frame. For a camera set on ISO 100, f/22, and 15 seconds the optimal time is roughly 5 seconds. The extra time on the camera is just padding to ensure you have time to carry out the shot to completion. Then the camera shutter closes move to the camera and check out the image. Don’t turn on the lights if you plan on doing another.

Technically speaking, the model could move after you step out of the frame, but generally I ask them to remain motionless. Unless you are in a cave, it is very difficult to make a room completely light tight, so not moving just ensures the lights stay lights, and the blacks stay black. Experiment until you get the effect you like.

In post production, you could photoshop out anything you don’t like, or even touch up the “fire” if you like. Generally speaking though, I don’t like the effect this gives and try to abstain. Just increase the Blacks and Contrast in Lightroom/Aperture and crop as needed. Variations on this could be using LEDs to create “energy fields” or even a common household flashlight can render some interesting effects. A laser pointed at the subjects and slowly moved over them can also create some fantastic effects! Trick photography is all about trial, error, and experimentation. It also helps you to learn what your camera can, and cannot, do well.

Now, if you’re itching for something more extreme, keep an eye out for a future post where I show you to pull off a fire ball in your hand WITHOUT trick photography. Yes, doing it for REAL with common things you can pick up in any town, and may even have around the house already.

Feel free to join and post your trick photograhy experiments to the Three Five Photography flickr group at Three Five Photo Blog Flickr Group. Ill be back on Monday with the promised post on the Rule of Thirds. Have a great weekend!

So if you’ve been following my blog you will remember my post Light and the Magic hours. I know not all of us can, or will, get up before sunrise on the weekend. Or even take the time to get shots at sunset. So, this weekend’s shooting assignment is to find some interesting shadows. Trees, people, cars, buildings, it doesn’t matter what it is,just get some awesome images capturing interesting shadows. Then leave a comment with a link to the image. OR, if you are a flickr user, I invite you to join the newly formed threefivephoto flickr group. Pictures should be taken between Sunrise on Sat. and Sunset on Sun … no EXIF cheating! I look forward to seeing the results of this little experiment. Don’t let me down!

Have a great weekend!