Ash Steele 2021 | Photography, Graphics, & Layout

[Fire Flow Artist]

I documented one fire flow artist at five locations throughout an entire year to bring this project to life.

Explore my process of photographing and creating the layout design for this yearbook.

Between the months of May & December 2021, I photographed Ash Steele 5 times.

We worked together to establish a clear vision for each shoot as well as to sort and catalogue them afterward.

Adobe Lightroom: Sort, export and name photos by location, date and movement

Adobe Photoshop: Edit with RAW

Once I saw the resulting series of images, I decided that a book would be a perfect way to frame the photographs.

In January 2022, I finished editing the photos and began to design book spread concepts.

Adobe Fresco: Book spread mockups

I utilized concentric shapes in my design to simulate the circular movement of the tethered fire; inversions of the design further punctuate this illusory affect.

Adobe Fresco, Photoshop & Illustrator: Vector and raster graphics

The creative style was tailored to fit my client's artistic taste; I paired the organic flames and scenery with a glitchy tech theme.

Adobe InDesign:

Create layout templates using character styles

Automate propagation of layout and content using data merge features

I interviewed Ash to generate copy for the book, I used key words from his interview and retrieved definitions to fill the rest of the pages with relevant content.

I used Dictionary [Computer software] (Version 2.3.0 (284); Apple Inc., 2005–2021) to retrieve word definitions.

The heat from the fire distorts and warps the horizon line, perfectly captured with my expertise.

The clean angles of the layout and use of negative space contrast nicely with the organic and flowing subject matter.

When placing each photo, I ensure that Ash is looking towards the next design element, allowing me to lead the viewer intentionally through the book.

Applying rules of composition and continuity keeps the viewer engrossed in the content without distraction.

This is my favorite action shot due to the perfect timing, yet I have many contenders.

This shot is technically perfect for many reasons, taken at 1/4000 of a second, I captured the slack in the rope and the snow flying off Ash's foot; perfectly timed and taken just before the weight of the prop pulled the rope tight.