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Cane farmer's last fire

Andy brown

Well-known member
DSC_9194_Vince_firelight_screen_size.jpg


This is Vince, he's been a cane farmer (sugar cane) for 66 years, At 80, he's retiring, this will be his last crop.
The cane is burnt in a rapid fire to remove a lot of the dried leaves and make harvesting more efficient.

The fire was great to photograph, lots of flame without being too hot to get close.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
DSC_9194_Vince_firelight_screen_size.jpg


This is Vince, he's been a cane farmer (sugar cane) for 66 years, At 80, he's retiring, this will be his last crop.
The cane is burnt in a rapid fire to remove a lot of the dried leaves and make harvesting more efficient.

The fire was great to photograph, lots of flame without being too hot to get close.



Andy,

Never knew about such a process of setting fire to the crop before harvesting. (I imagine that it addsxacrylamide to the sugar!)

The red-orange cast, (from the ground), adds an immediacy to the portrait - interesting effect as it is very different from light at twilight or the golden hue in Florence and Sienna in Italy at summer's sunsets!

Asher
 

Doug Kerr

Well-known member
Andy, Asher,

Andy: What a superb portrait. And thanks for the story that provides the context. What a wonderful visage Vince exhibits at this stage of his life. (I can remember when I was 80!)

Asher: This is such a powerful example of some wisdom you gave me many years ago about the application (and misapplication) of white balance color correction.

Had this shot been color balanced "correctly". the subject's face would look as we would expect in a studio shot to be used in a resumé.

Best regards,

Doug
 

Andy brown

Well-known member
Thanks gents, yeah the colour is from the fire, as warm a glow as you get.

My Dad turns 80 this weekend, hail and hearty he is too. I turned 55 today and I'm having way too much fun in life not to wish for some 'golden years', I'm trying hard to stay fit to enjoy the next couple of decades or so.

Anyway, a couple more of the fire...

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Robert Watcher

Well-known member
I really like these images . Both the portrait and the fields, convey a story and provide an essence of the environment created by the fire. Nice.



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Andy brown

Well-known member
Thanks Robert. It was a great opportunity (safety is an issue and I was lucky to be allowed so close) and I tried to be prepared for what might transpire. The fires usually happen on dusk when the wind or lack of it is predictable and the cool winter nights provide dew to quash the fire so it won't spread. I was hoping for some sunset colour as a backdrop.

High cirrus clouds promised for a spectacular sunset..

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The nacreous effect was a bonus in its own right.

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The sunset didn't disappoint but didn't quite coincide with the fire..

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Even the moon came to the party

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One more fire pic

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