Up in Flames

My mother-in-law, Janet, replaced her dried out Christmas tree with a new artificial tree for our trip home so we could exchange gifts in a festive setting. The dry tree sat out on their porch, waiting for our arrival. On New Year’s Eve, a few hours before midnight, we burned the tree in their fire pit. I was sick that day and exhausted from traveling and staying up late the night before, but I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to capture the fire.

It’s no wonder real trees are considered fire hazards. The instantaneous blaze was incredible.

I took most of these on sports mode, attempting to capture the specific movements of the flames. Later I slowed down my shutter speed to turn the flying sparks into glowing streaks.