The Fire Challenge is the third challenge posed by Kim Grant on her YouTube channel, Visualising Scotland.
The aim of these challenges is not to just take a regular photograph of the topic, but rather to think around the subject, use the subject as a springboard for something different, something creative and interesting.
Kim constantly reminds her viewers that the aim of the challenges is to get people to go out with their camera and to see the world in a different way.
With all of this in mind I began to think of the latest challenge – Fire.
I don’t have a fire in my house, which might have given me the option of photographing a real flame, so I tried to think around the subject and decided to use colour and shape to simulate fire, and to use intentional camera movement and abstract photography to create some fire effects.
Autumn provided an abundance of reds, oranges and yellows so I went out with my camera to see what I could create.
Theses are some of the results.
The creeping plant, with it's autumn colours of red, orange and yellow, gives the impression of flames creeping up a wall.
This was a hanging branch. I rotated it to give the impression of flames jumping up.
Autumn leaves sufficiently blurred to represent the colours of fire.
Intentional Camera Movement gives the image a wavy feel, like flames dancing in a fire.
This abstract image, with its strong red and yellow and hint of blue, suggests the intensity of fire.
In post-processing I was able to change the colour of these grasses to fire colours.
I live near Marlay Park, an area in which I do a lot of my photography. On a recent walk on a cold November morning I came across a pile of fire logs ready to be used in the log fires of the 18th century Marlay House. They provided an ideal subject for my fire photography challenge!
Why not take the challenge?
The Fire challenge is not an easy challenge.
I was tempted to photograph a real flame but I felt that it would defeat the purpose of a creative challenge.
Finding ways to represent fire or create images associated with fire provided a welcome opportunity to do something different with my camera.
If you would like to try out some creative images on the theme of fire, why not take part in the challenge for yourself.
There are no winners or losers, just an opportunity to see some creative thinking among photographers and a chance to pick up some useful ideas for your own photography.
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