FIRE PERFORMER AND FLOW ARTIST PHOTOGRAPHY
If you want to create powerful images of fire performers, the most important thing you can do is to forget about the fire.
Fire spinning is a dangerous and beautiful art form. The best fire performer photography requires more than just dialing in the best camera settings in order to photograph pretty fire textures and siiiiiiiiick fire spinning trails while ignoring the human performer who is risking serious injury or death every time they set fire to their props. Great fire performer photography shows off the fire spinner at their most primal, and powerful. The simplest way to show the performer at their most primal is to focus you attention, and thus your viewer’s attention, away from the fire and directly to the performer where it belongs.
It is my hope that these tips can help you to learn how to see past the fire in order to best photograph the soul of the performer by combining the techniques of photojournalism (sports photography, in particular) with elements of portraiture.
How to Photograph Fire Performers

How to Photograph Fire Fans and Palm Torches
Fire fans and palm torches are among the best fire props to help create the most portrait-like images of fire performers. Here are some effective tips to improve photography of fire fan performers.
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How to Photograph Fire Breathers
Fire breathing is a spectacular, crowd pleasing art. Want to know out what the best camera settings are to photograph fire breathers? Here are some tips from an experienced fire performer photographer.
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How To Improve Photography Of Fire Performers, Part 6
Looking for the best camera settings to use when photographing fire performers? I’ll give you a hint. There aren’t any. Read on to see what I mean.
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How To Improve Photography Of Fire Performers, Part 5
Photographing fire performers and flow artists became boring for me a long time ago and that is perfectly okay. In fact, boredom can be a powerful asset in your creative tool box. Here’s how.
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How To Improve Photography of Fire Performers, Part 4
In Part 4 of this series covering tips on taking better photos of fire performers, we continue learning to think like a soldier because Army fundamentals and photography fit perfectly well together. Here’s why.
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How To Improve Photography of Fire Performers, Part 3
In Part 3 of this Blog Series on Improving Fire Performer Photography, I present to you the Four Fundamentals of Basic Rifle Marksmanship. Wait, whaaaaaaat?
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How To Improve Photography of Fire Performers, Part 2
In Part Two of How to Improve Photography of Fire Performers, we go from the photographer’s perspective as a photojournalist to improving awareness on the performer as priority through Safety Third and Consent Always. Read for more.
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How to Improve Photography of Fire Performers, Part 1
Improving photography of fire performers requires an understanding of how concepts in photojournalism are used to create a powerful image.
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