Posted by Dena Sanders on April 12, 2009 at 8:03 PM
Hello, this was shot last night at a prairie burn in the Flint Hills. It was pretty fun to be hear, smell and feel the heat from the fire. Quite a different experience.
A few more are posted here:
http://www.denasanders.com/gallery/7828253_vExiH#511033056_uMZBQ
Happy Easter!
Posted by Wayne Rhodus on April 12, 2009 at 9:07 PM
I'm jealous Dena, there are a couple of excellent shots in your portfolio! Looks like an amazing experience.
I wish I could figure out how to get myself out there for some shooting when this is going on.
Posted by Ken Bachman on April 12, 2009 at 9:08 PM
Wow Dena, I bet you needed a shower after that experience. I can't believe they let the public get that close to the fires.
Nice composition on this one. I like your whole gallery, especially 3 and 7.
Can't wait to see those hills green up.
Posted by Daniel Loomis on April 12, 2009 at 9:29 PM
This may sound like an odd question . . . but did the horse have trouble stepping on hot spots? I am guessing that the flame front moved fast enough that heating was largely superficial?
Posted by Dena Sanders on April 12, 2009 at 9:33 PM
Hi guys,
Ken, yes, I had "fireman soot" on me when I got home. The inside of my Jeep still has that s'mores smell. :-) I was surprised how close we could get also, but the wind was pretty light; I imagine that had something to do with it.
Wayne, I actually paid to do that, I didn't want to, but I kept missing burns, so gave it a whirl. Gwen and Josh at the Flying W Ranch will tell you when they're burning so you can just drive out that day. Took me two weekends because of the wind/rain, but they were kind enough to reschedule for a weekend. They're very accommodating and will wait to burn the next section until you get your shot.
Nice people, that's where Kevin Sink has gotten some of his great shots. He was out there with his kids, just watching on Saturday. It was a really fun time.
They have a "bunkhouse" (and Josh is a chef/rancher), and they rent rooms/provide food for photography groups for burns, prairie shots, horseback riding, ranch shots, etc. Don't know how much it is, but it would be a great base camp with lots to shoot. I may check into it later.
Posted by Dena Sanders on April 12, 2009 at 9:40 PM
Hi Daniel,
Good question, that was one of the things that surprised me. The ground cooled pretty quickly. We walked over it just after it burned and although it was smoking, you could kneel down and not be too hot.
The horse, Smokey, just calmly walked across the smaller flames (4 inches or so), I kept thinking his tail would catch on fire.
The funny thing was the three dogs that followed Gwen, the rider, everywhere. One was a Corgi mix and the others weren't overly tall, but they jumped over the fire to keep up with her. They didn't really like it, and they whined some, but they did it all night.
At one point I heard a dog yelping in pain and thought one had caught on fire, but he'd just decided to take on a raccoon in a ravine. The dog came out, no word on the raccoon.
Those are some really, really cool shots, Dena. You captured the glow perfectly. The ranchers doing the burn I watched were using 4 wheelers rather than horses. Not quite as picturesque as what you saw. I think the horses definitely add to the cowboy atmosphere.
Posted by Tom Kennon on April 12, 2009 at 10:08 PM
The cowboy really rounds adds interest to your shot. Thanks for sharing.
Discussion
9 repliesA few more are posted here:
http://www.denasanders.com/gallery/7828253_vExiH#511033056_uMZBQ
Happy Easter!
I wish I could figure out how to get myself out there for some shooting when this is going on.
Nice composition on this one. I like your whole gallery, especially 3 and 7.
Can't wait to see those hills green up.
Ken, yes, I had "fireman soot" on me when I got home. The inside of my Jeep still has that s'mores smell. :-) I was surprised how close we could get also, but the wind was pretty light; I imagine that had something to do with it.
Wayne, I actually paid to do that,
Nice people, that's where Kevin Sink has gotten some of his great shots. He was out there with his kids, just watching on Saturday. It was a really fun time.
They have a "bunkhouse" (and Josh is a chef/rancher), and they rent rooms/provide food for photography groups for burns, prairie shots, horseback riding, ranch shots, etc. Don't know how much it is, but it would be a great base camp with lots to shoot. I may check into it later.
Good question, that was one of the things that surprised me. The ground cooled pretty quickly. We walked over it just after it burned and although it was smoking, you could kneel down and not be too hot.
The horse, Smokey, just calmly walked across the smaller flames (4 inches or so), I kept thinking his tail would catch on fire.
The funny thing was the three dogs that followed Gwen, the rider, everywhere. One was a Corgi mix and the others weren't overly tall, but they jumped over the fire to keep up with her. They didn't really like it, and they whined some, but they did it all night.
At one point I heard a dog yelping in pain and thought one had caught on fire, but he'd just decided to take on a raccoon in a ravine. The dog came out, no word on the raccoon.