365 Day Project | Day 9 | Ocala Photographer

So, it’s just my fireplace.

Last night was pretty chilly with temps in the lower 40’s, so I built a fire. This exercise was actually really fun finding a setting that I was pleased with. You can see that most of the embers are in focus. I shot with a small aperture, f/16, to make that happen. The shutter speed was my next adjustment. If I kept it open too long, I would likely be caught with an overexposed image. Too short and the image might be underexposed. Sure I could compensate for that with adjustments to the ISO or aperture, but I liked where those settings stood. 1.6 seconds was where I landed. That was open long enough to show movement in the flames which, to me, makes the photo come alive. And short enough so as to not lose definition in the flames.

My favorite part was viewing them on the computer. I shot a ton! Seeing the different patterns of the flames was a lot like looking at clouds in the sky. I “saw” all sorts of things; bats, dragons, a deer, Disney’s Jafar ( Tangent: I worked with the fellow that gave him life on the big screen, Jonathan Freeman. He played the role of Bert Barry in the 2001 revival of 42nd Street on Broadway! What a talented man! Smell me, right?). Anyway, it was fun sorting through everything and finding one I liked best.

Did I make you all feel warmy like toast? Beelee and I sat in front of the fire when I was through…one of my favorite things.