Photo of the week

Every Thursday after dusk, a select group of Davis students and residents congregate at the E Street Plaza to practice a unique skill – fire twirling. Last week, I happened to walk by, and I immediately snapped some shots. It was dark, and I wanted to emphasize the effect of the fire so I didn’t use a flash. Instead, I used a long shutter speed of 1/10 of a second and a high ISO of 1600. I wasn’t carrying a tripod, so I rested my camera on a nearby bench, tilting it upward to capture the whole effect. I wanted to keep the main fire twirler in focus but let the background blur somewhat. To do this I set a wide aperture of f/4. I didn’t have a chance to talk to any of the twirlers, but it looked like they were willing to teach anyone who arrived. So, if you’re looking for a new skill, bring your own fire!