Every once in a while I stumble upon a picture and I do not understand what is going on. I guess it will be the case of many viewers in the case of this “fire girl” scene. Some people from Rosario that know the place will eventually figure it out but for others, I will go through the “making of” this picture.
I was on a short walk heading to the main cityscape of Rosario, this is the Monumento a la Bandera. In other words, a monument built on the very place where Argentina’s flag was created. The central part of the momument looks somewhat like a Greek temple made exclusively of columns. It is a place I often shoot, as you can also enjoy the fresh air from the nearby Parana River.
As I neared the monument, I hear the sound of electronic music coming from inside the structure and soon realized that a fashion show was about to take place. And at about the same time, rain started to pour intensively and made any retreat impossible. Therefore I took some shots from inside the structure but nothing really convinced me. Then I remembered a framing I had tried in the past from the front part of the monument and thought it could definitely work for this situation. Yes, but that would mean get completely soaked as I had to go all around the monument structure. Cheering myself up and remembering the “Get the Shot” philosophy, I just rushed into the heavy rainstorm.
Already completely wet,I slowly crept up the stairs of the monument to the level where I could get the models walking the runway but exclude the seated attendance. Part of the challenge was to have the four planes of this picture in symetry, so I meticulously lined up the columns and made sure the Cathedral would stand centered. I waited for one of the models to walk in and clicked. Note that I went for a F1.4 aperture on my 60mm Konica Hexanon lens. The idea was to compress planes but at the same time create a mysterious atmosphere by blurring the background.
Well, I am sure you are still wondering about one part of this picture, right ? What about the flames ? Well, it is a neternal flame placed in the middle of the momument to honour all these who fought during the Argentine Independence War. The trick was to wait for the model to walk just in front of the flame and cover it partially.
So no, this picture is not about the mystical aparition of a Phenix like girl. Yet it does explain the beauty of street photography: the ability to bolster our imagination with the scenes that we stumble upon everyday. The story is what you want it to be! (and this one cost me a heavy cold.)
Taken with Leica M10 and 60mm Hexanon at F1.4, ISO, 1/500, ISO500