Sparks and flame
A match flaring against black, a flame and its smoke up close, blue smoke rising, coils of incense in a temple.
Fire lasts only a moment at the scale of a match, and that is what makes it such a good subject.
A match flares into flame against a black background. Another is seen up close, the flame and its smoke separated cleanly. Blue smoke rises from a burning match after the flame has gone, drifting into shapes that will never repeat. Coils of incense hang inside a temple, burning slowly over hours instead of seconds.
Photographs like these are usually made in controlled darkness. A black background lets the flame be the only light, and a fast shutter speed freezes the flare, while smoke often looks best lit from the side so it stands out against the dark.
Between the quick flare and the slow incense there is a whole range of time. Both are small, and both are worth watching closely.
Photos: 51581, roegger, christoph, michoff on Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. These are not my photographs.
